This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘The Pink Side of Life.’ See more responses here.
The top photo shows a leaf cutter bee on what I think is a zinnia violacea flower. Next we have a ball of Egyptian starcluster (Pentas lanceolata) flowers and Pinkfringe (Arthrostemma ciliatum) flowers.
Next comes the lovely marking of a shell ginger flower and the puffy blooms of a sensitive plant.
Finally, there’s a pink banana hosting a visitor, a gold dust day gecko after a little something to drink.
Also posted in response to Becky’s October Squares challenge theme of ‘Past Squares – In the Pink/Flowers.’ See more responses here.
I played a game of peek-a-boo with this mourning gecko as it clung to a clothes line. I leaned one way to get a photo, it scooted round the other way, keeping the line between me and it. But patience won out and I was able to get several good views.
This tree was labeled Powder Puff Tree, Brownea Sp. at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. I suspect the Powder Puff name is given to a variety of plants with flowers like this one, so I’m not sure if this is really the correct name.
I do know a couple of things about this tree. The flowers were a brilliant orange and very popular with the gold dust day geckos. They grow directly out of the trunk of the tree, starting as a pinkish bud and eventually dying out to a withered, brown remnant.
For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.
Posted in response to Becky’s July Squares challenge theme of ‘Trees.’ See more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Great Outdoors.’ See more responses here.
In Hawaii, people spend a great deal of time outdoors. It’s common for people to have an outdoor kitchen, sometimes their only kitchen, sometimes a second one where a barbecue is the featured cooking apparatus. Carports often feature chairs and tables with cars parked elsewhere. The lanai, or deck, is as well-used as any room in the house.
Outdoor activities are popular here, too. Many involve the ocean and its inviting water: swimming, snorkeling, paddling, and of course surfing. Plenty of people go fishing and hunting, longtime sources of food for the table.
Palm trees on the coast.
A trail through the woods.
A view from the Hilina Pali Trail.
View of an old flow over Holei Pali.
For me, experiencing the great outdoors primarily involves hiking and snorkeling. Hiking isn’t especially popular here, especially along the coast where it can get quite hot. I get strange looks when I hike the length of popular beaches togged out in hiking gear, including shoes, hat, and fanny pack loaded with water. For most, the beach is a place for stretching out and broiling in the sun, not actively working up a sweat.
Hawaii Amakihi
Great Frigatebird
A gecko on yellow bamboo.
An ashy grey lady beetle on Plumeria.
The vast majority of photos on this blog are taken in the great outdoors. These photos are a small selection of things I’ve seen while out and about, from sweeping views to birds and bugs.
A view of the south Kohala Coast from Koai’a Tree SanctuaryA view of Mauna Kea from Pu’u Wa’awa’a.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘National Kids and Pets Day.’ See more responses here. I mentioned to Terri that I might have a hard time with this one, not having kids or pets, and she suggested I could use the ‘pet’ geckos around here.
So here’s a gold dust day gecko playing hide and seek with me from a bird of paradise flower.
Also posted in response to Becky’s April Squares challenge theme of ‘Bright.’ See more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Emerging.’ See more responses here. I’ve posted photos of this scene before, but I thought a couple more fit the bill for this week’s theme.
This brightly-colored gold dust day gecko lived in a Pepsi machine for a while and regularly emerged from the interior via the coin return slot. Then it would hang out on the edge for while, checking out the scene, before returning to the cool, dark interior.
Also posted in response to Becky’s April Squares challenge theme of ‘Bright.’ See more responses here.
I was sorting through some photos the other day when I came across this one and realized I hadn’t posted it before. If it looks somewhat familiar, it’s because this is the image my gravatar comes from. I chose it because, if I were a gecko, I’m pretty sure that’s the expression I’d have most of the time.
