Painted Lady Tropical Hibiscus

'Painted Lady' Hibiscus

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

'Painted Lady' is the name of this cultivar of tropical hibiscus.  We have several bushes of this variety in our garden.   Each blossom lasts only for a day, but the plant blooms year round in our climate.

Rain clouds rolling in

Location:  Waimea, Big Island, Hawaii

Early this morning, we went to the little town of Waimea to do some shopping.   It was sunny on the coast where we live, but as we approached Waimea, rain clouds began to roll in over the surrounding hills.   We stopped near this old farm road on the outskirts of the town so that I could take a few pictures.

Waimea is a small town  surrounded by farms and ranches, on Hawaii's Big Island.  Situated well upslope from the coast at an elevation of about 2,500 feet, the air temperature in Waimea usually is about 10 to 20 degrees (F) cooler than at sea level.  This is true year round.

Color Layers at Sunset

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The sky was layered in colors as the sun set on this particular day.   Aloft it was still blue, with wispy clouds.   Closer to the surface of the ocean was a layer of 'vog' (volcano smog) from Kilauea Volcano, which is erupting at the other end of the island where I live.  The smoke and particles in the vog are not nice to breathe, but they do scatter the light in a way that often gives us spectacular sunsets.

Pineapple Flower

Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Beginning last November, I documented the growth of a pineapple in my garden over a period of several months, from the time it was a very small fruit until it was ready to pick. (That particular pineapple has since been harvested and eaten!) The stage that was omitted from that previous series was the earliest one: the pineapple flower.

Here is a new pineapple flower that is blooming in our garden now. The beginning of what will be the pineapple's crown is just starting to form in the center of the flower. I took this photo a few days ago, immediately after a rain. Look carefully and you will see that the pineapple has captured some rainwater in the crown.

New Zealand's Takitimu Mountains

Takitimu Mountains

Location: South Island, New Zealand

The southernmost region of New Zealand's South Island is called, appropriately, the Southland.  Rising up from a plain in the interior of the Southland is the Takitimu mountain range.  The plain at the foot of the mountains is occupied by farms, all of which have spectacular mountain views as a backdrop.  Some of the higher mountain peaks in the Takitimu range keep their snow caps for much of the year.

Song of the Java Sparrow

Java Sparrow (Padda oryzivora)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Java Sparrows (Padda oryzivora) are regular visitors to our garden.  As I mentioned in an earlier post about Java Sparrows, these natives of Indonesia are members of the finch family, despite the common name.  They were introduced into Hawaii well over a century ago, and have become well established here in the islands.

By chance, while I was researching a different finch species, I came across a website that had a brief recording of the Java Sparrow's song.   Here it is: Java Sparrow song.

Tip of the hat to Roy Beckham at eFinch.com for posting the recording  on his website for all of us to enjoy.

Silver Buttonwood Leaves and Fruit

Silver Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

A popular ornamental plant here in Hawaii is the Silver Buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus).    It thrives in full sun and is known to be both salt-tolerant and drought-tolerant.

Because of its pale silvery-green leaves, this plant often is used in landscaping to provide a contrast to darker foliage.  It is sometimes used as a hedge, but in other settings the bushes are planted as individuals.  We have about a dozen Silver Buttonwoods, interspersed with Ficus trees, planted along one edge of our property as a sort of natural fence.

The Silver Buttonwood bears tiny, pale flowers that mature into small fruits, which grow in clusters on a stalk.   This close-up photo shows the silvery leaves and the mature fruits.

More information: US Forest Service Fact Sheet: Silver Buttonwood - 3-page 'pdf' file

Early Morning Cloudscape

Early Morning Clouds

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

We've been seeing quite a few clouds in our skies for the past week.  Yesterday it was heavily overcast, and today it is raining, but one morning last week the sky above my house had this interesting mix of clouds.  Do click on this photo to enlarge it, so that you can see the details of the cloud textures and colors.  The photo has not been retouched in any way, except to crop and reduce its size.

Pineapple - Almost Ready to Eat

Pineapple (Ananas comosus)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I've been recording the progress of this pineapple's growth here for months, from the time it was about the size of a pine cone.  By mid-January, the pineapple had doubled in size, and then it began to grow its beautiful crown.

The pineapple is plump and heavy now -- so heavy that its weight tipped it over nearly parallel to the ground a few days ago, although it is still firmly attached to the plant.   Its crown is enormous, and the fruit is taking on a golden sun-drenched hue.  Finally, it is almost ready to pick and eat.

Ptooey!

Male Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

When I uploaded this photo from the camera to to my computer I had to chuckle.  I had been photographing this male Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)  as he drank water from our ground-level bird bath.  By chance, I snapped this photo just as a few droplets of water fell from his bill.  It looked to me as though he was spitting:  Ptooey!