Honey bee close-up

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I returned to my neighbor's garden to take more photos of the honey bees harvesting pollen from some cactus flowers.  I cropped this image from a larger photo.  It shows quite a bit of detail on the bee, including a dusting of pollen grains on its body, but despite the fast shutter speed, I didn't capture the rapidly beating wings!

Singapore Plumeria (Plumeria obtusa)

Singapore Plumeria (Plumeria obtusa)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Here is another variety of Plumeria from our garden.  This variety is known locally as Singapore Plumeria (Plumeria obtusa).  Unlike other Plumeria varieties, the Singapore Plumeria is an evergreen. I ts dark green leaves are shiny and have rounded tips, whereas the leaves on other varieties are paler, more drab, and have pointy tips.  In my opinion, the fragrance of the Singapore Plumeria blossoms is superior to the other varieties -- although they all smell wonderful!

In case you may have missed them, here are some photos of other Plumeria varieties: Pink / Rainbow / Lueang Sakhon.  Note: In some parts of the world the Plumeria is known as Frangipani.

Another gecko with mites

Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I don't mean to wear out this topic of House Geckos with mites, but here is one more example.  Note the red dots on the ends of this lizard's toes.  They are the gecko mites.  By the way, this is the same species as in the previous photo, but this guy is wearing his daylight camouflage coloring.

A House Gecko with Mites!

Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I finally found an opportunity to take some macro photos of a Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus).  When I uploaded the photos to my computer and looked at them on the monitor, I was surprised to see some red dots on the gecko's toes.

I looked up the species in an old book that was on my shelf.*   I did not see any photos of geckos with red spots on their toes, however the book said this species is "frequently parasitized by tiny red mites that attach themselves between scales on the tail and digits of the feet."  Yikes!  Who knew?

A little searching around on the Web revealed that there are several species of these mites, and that they are actually called Gecko Mites (Geckobia spp.).  Apparently they primarily infest geckos, but can sometimes be found on other kinds of reptiles.  So, we've learned something new.

This discovery made me look again at some other gecko photos I have, including the one of the House Gecko that I posted here last week.  Sure enough, if you look carefully at that gecko's hind feet, you will see the telltale red dots.

*McKeown, S., Hawaiian Reptiles and Amphibians, Honolulu: The Oriental Publishing Company [no date].

Honey bee approaching a cactus flower

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

As I passed by my neighbor's garden, I noticed a cactus (species unknown) with big, white flowers.  The local honey bees have noticed the cactus flowers, too.   They were busily gathering pollen from the blossoms.

The 'Black Witch' Moth (Ascalapha odorata)

Female Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This is quite possibly the largest moth I have ever seen.  I saw it at rest on a window screen.  First I photographed it, then I attempted to measure it.  Good thing I took the picture first, because as soon as I touched the screen with my ruler, the moth spooked and flew off, weaving all around the garden until it found a place to hide high up in the foliage of one of our Monkeypod trees.  Let's just say its wingspan was approximately six inches across (about 15 cm).

It is a female Black Witch moth (Ascalapha odorata).  The male of the species does not have that pretty white scalloped stripe on the wings.  And just look at the wonderful iridescent colors on the wings.

You can learn about this unusual moth by visiting The Black Witch Moth: Its Natural and Cultural History on the Texas Entomology web site.  Apparently these migratory insects are prevalent in northern Mexico and parts of Texas.  We see them infrequently here in Hawaii.

Banana Flower

Banana (Musa sp.)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Our banana trees are flowering, and some are beginning to fruit.  Right now, the newly formed green bananas are only about three inches (8 cm) long.  Once they have grown to their full size, they will begin to turn yellow.   We like to eat them before they over-ripen, so when the fruit is about half-yellow, a 'hand' at a time will be cut from the tree.

We love having bananas fresh from the garden.  The only problem is that so many seem to ripen at once, yielding more than we can eat before they spoil.  When faced with an oversupply, we share them with neighbors, sometimes trading the bananas for types of fruits we don't grow.

Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)

Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Without a doubt, the Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is the lizard seen most frequently in Hawaii -- at least in areas populated by humans.  These geckos live on our porches, in our garages, and often inside our houses as well.  They eat insects -- a good thing -- and generally don't bother us except to chirp at us, "Chik-chik-chik."

The Common House Gecko is not as pretty to look at as some of its more colorful cousins, like the Gold Dust Day Gecko.  Seen mostly at night, Common House Geckos usually look quite pale like the one in this photo. They can change their color a bit in an attempt to blend in with their surroundings.  They also turn darker during daylight hours.

The one pictured here is about 13 cm (5 in) long.  This guy lives on our front porch, along with several others of the same species.  They tend to hang out in the corners and under the eaves until they see some prey -- a bug attracted to the porch light, perhaps.  Then off they go, scampering over the walls and across the ceiling to capture a meal.

Pink Plumeria

Pink Plumeria (Plumeria sp.)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

We have several varieties of Plumeria in our garden.  This one bears blossoms with reddish centers and shaded pink petals.  This variety is deciduous; the tree branches are bare of leaves and flowers for about half the year.   The blossoms have a sweet aroma, and they are often used in leis.

Spent Oleander Seed Pods

Oleander seed pods (Nerium oleander)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

These empty oleander seed pods were on the same bush as the Double Rose oleander blossoms in the previous post.  As you can see, the pods have long since ripened and burst to release their seeds to the wind.   The individual seeds are attached to bits of fluff not unlike dandelion seeds in appearance.  The fluff makes it easy for them to disperse with the breezes.

Double Rose Oleander Blossoms

Double Rose Oleander (Nerium oleander cultivar)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Oleanders make a great hedge.  The plants are bushy and grow tall, the slender leaves are always green, and several color varieties of blossoms are available.  This Double Rose variety is one of several oleander cultivars we have in our garden.