This mango flower beetle was hanging out on the washing line. Probably wouldn’t be right at the top of a ‘cute creatures’ list.
Tag Archives: Macro
Fagraea berteriana
Fagraea berteriana is also known as perfume flower tree and pua keni keni. In Hawaiian, pua keni keni means “ten cent flower,” which used to be the price of a lei made from these flowers.
There’s a lot going on with these plants. The fragrant flowers start out white, then turn golden yellow. Later it will produce smooth green fruits that will become wrinkled and red.
Rusty millipede
I came across this rusty millipede (Trigoniulus lumbricinus) while out on a walk. It was going at a good clip, at least until the terrain got a little tougher. The big question, of course, is what happens when a millipede trips?
Abstracts: Stick insect should stick to sticks
Stick insect are beautifully camouflaged on twigs and small branches, but there are other surfaces with which they blend well. This one, though, might not be the best choice.
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.
Hawaiian blue butterfly
The Hawaiian Blue butterfly (Udara blackburni) is also known as Blackburn’s Blue butterfly, Blackburn’s Little Blue butterfly, and the Koa butterfly. It is one of two butterflies that are endemic to Hawaii (the other is the Kamehameha butterfly). The caterpillars feed on Acacias, including Koa leaves, hence one of the names. It’s a small butterfly, only an inch or so long, but quite striking.
Katydid
A katydid, probably heading toward one of the basil plants. I think this one might be one of the bush katydids, but there are an awful lot of them.
Graham's Island 