Clouds and light

Clouds and light off the Kohala Coast in Hawaii

I’d like to say I took this photo because I was deeply moved by the bands of light and dark, but the truth is, I was heading home in a long line of traffic going 45 mph in a 55 mph area and there was zero chance anything was going to change. So I pulled over and took photos instead. And I did like the light contrasts on offer, so didn’t regret the stop.

When enough time had passed for me not to catch up to the funeral cortege I’d been following, I put my camera away and got ready to head home. As I did so, a large truck, pulling a trailer, rumbled by on the highway. I sighed, but at least the truck driver had the decency to barrel along as best he was able and we made decent time, even on the hill up from the coast, just before Hawi.

Painted Hermit Crabs

Painted Hermit Crabs in a head of coral in Hawaii

I spotted activity in a head of coral and thought I’d found another batch of Isabelle’s Hermit Crabs (here). But even as I took photos, I thought the color of the legs wasn’t quite right. This proved to be the case. Instead, these are Painted Hermit Crabs, a species endemic to Hawaii. The shells occupied here are probably from one of the marine snails known as drupes, Grape Morulas being a possibility.

The Numbers Game #78

Clouds make a blanket between the slopes of Mauna Kea and Maui.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 199. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A stuffed toy left behind in North Kohala.
Boats heading out to fish.
A sailboat in white water off the Big Island, Hawaii
A sailboat runs before strong winds in the Alenuihaha Channel between the Big Island and Maui.
A Mourning Gecko in the daytime.
A fly on the edge of a leaf
A Green Bottle Fly on a leaf.
Long John Mantis, a one-eyed, five-legged praying mantis seen at Hapuna.

Monday portrait

A wild pig tackles a mango in Hawaii

The mango tree is dropping fruit, which means that the numerous wild pigs around here are stopping by on a regular basis to scarf them up. This is one of them, or is it? A tag in the ear usually indicates a domesticated animal, but this one was roaming with the other wild pigs. An escapee perhaps? Part of a scientific study?

But them I looked at the tag again, 004. Surely, this means the pig is a British secret agent, probably sent to check up on me and make sure I’m drinking enough tea and not bad-mouthing the king. Hopefully, he’s not yet licensed to kill, just to eat mangoes.

A wild pig tackles a mango in HawaiiA wild pig tackles a mango in Hawaii