Ulei (Osteomeles anthylidifolia) has lovely, fragrant flowers. It’s indigenous to Hawaii and is a member of the rose family. Speaking of which, correct pronunciation is important (oolayee). Otherwise, it will likely sound like the aforementioned part of the male anatomy!
Tag Archives: Bees and Wasps
Pinkhead smartweed
This cheerful, but somewhat weedy plant grows along roadsides. It’s particularly striking on Saddle Road where it adds color to the otherwise lava-rich landscape. Also, I like the name. It sounds like the not-too-bright son of a moneyed family on the east coast.
Sphecid wasp
I saw this creature on a wall being eyed by a gold dust day gecko as a possible meal. Eventually the gecko thought better of it, which is probably just as well. This is a sphecid wasp and they can pack a sting, though they aren’t aggressive.
From searches on whatsthatbug.com and bugguide.net, it appears that this sphecid is in the genus Prionyx, probably P. fervens.
Naio
Naio (Myoporum sandwicense) used to grow in great abundance in Hawaii, but now is much less common. It has some similarities to true sandalwood and was passed off as the latter without much success, leading to it’s other names of false sandalwood or, less sympathetically, bastard sandalwood.
This small tree was found growing on the lower slopes of Mauna Kea.
Black and yellow mud dauber wasp
The black and yellow mud dauber (Sceliphron caementarium) is one of several mud dauber wasps. They’re large, quite common, and get their name from the mud nests they build. These nests are often attached to man-made structures, such as under the eaves of houses. They’re not aggressive, but are prone to startling me since they spend a good deal of time around the outside of the house.
Bee on fireweed flower
Last week I posted here about the fireweed biocontrol moth, secusio extensa, which has been introduced into Hawaii in an attempt to control the spread of invasive fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis). On that same walk I saw lots of fireweed flowers such as this one, busily being helped to propagate by this bee. Such is the battlefield.
Paper wasp on a plumeria
A paper wasp clambers over a budding plumeria.
Mock orange abuzz
A bee forages through the blooms of a mock orange.
Graham's Island 