Tag Archives: Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden

Cricket on a white anthurium

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A beetle on an anthurium flower in Hawaii
A beetle on an anthurium flower in Hawaii

This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Macro or Close-ups.’ See more responses here.

I saw this cricket climbing up the spadix of a white anthurium at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. As it neared the top, I zoomed in for a close up. I haven’t been able to find out what kind of cricket it is (open to suggestions), but I was very taken by its extravagantly long antennae.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

Updated 9-17-2022: Thanks to Forest and Kim Starr at Hawaii Insect ID for pointing out this is probably a cricket, though exactly which kind remains unknown.

Cannonball tree flowers

Cannonball tree flowers on a tree in Hawaii
Cannonball tree flowers on a tree in Hawaii
Cannonball tree flowers on a tree in Hawaii

The last time I visited Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, the Cannonball Trees (Couroupita guianensis) were flowering more abundantly than I’d ever seen them before. The flowers appear on the tree trunk, but these went all the way to the top and seemed to be blooming on some of the high branches. It was an impressive sight, especially in one instance where a heavily blooming tree was backed by a second tree loaded with cannonball fruits.

After the bloom is over, the petals litter the ground, a final splash of color in the dappled light.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

Cannonball tree flower petals on the ground in Hawaii

Plant shapes

Lily pads in Hawaii

The current Friendly Friday challenge theme is ‘Shapes.’ See more responses here. Since I just paid another visit to Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, I thought some flower and foliage shapes would be appropriate. In the top photo, round lily pads float in the garden’s pond.

A coiled fern in Hawaii
An anthurium flower in Hawaii
orchids in Hawaii
A Guzmania 'Limones' in Hawaii

The squares show the coils within coils of a Hapu’u fern, a distinctly-shaped anthurium, the familiar curves of an orchid against a large, angular leaf, and the geometric precision of a Guzmania ‘Limones’ bromeliad.

A beehive ginger in Hawaii
Tropical leaves in Hawaii
A heliconia in Hawaii

The rectangles start with the distinctive shape of beehive gingers, then large, tropical, heart-shaped leaves, and the sinuous shape of a colorful heliconia.

The bottom photo shows feather-shaped leaves that even look like feathers!

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

Tropical leaves in Hawaii

Abstracts: Tahitian Prawn

A Tahitian Prawn in a stream in Hawaii

I was taking photos of Tahitian Prawns in the stream at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, but when I looked at them later, I mostly liked the abstract effect of the light and water. But, yes, there is a Tahitian Prawn in this photo.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.

Walking Iris

A walking iris flower at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden
A walking iris flower at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden

The lovely blue color of this Walking Iris caught my eye when I was last at Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden. Not only was it striking in its own right, but it was also a distinctive splash of color against a predominantly green background.

For more information about Hawai’i Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, go to htbg.com.