Niu Leka - a dwarf coconut palm

Niu Leka (Cocos nucifera cultivar)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Coconut trees are popular in the tropics, but they can prove problematic in public areas and around houses.   The standard coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) grows quite tall.  This makes harvesting the coconuts rather difficult, and it also creates a hazard when coconuts and dead branches/fronds spontaneously drop from the trees.   Both the nuts and the palm branches are heavy and can injure people or damage property when they drop.  (I once saw a branch from a tall coconut tree drop onto a parked car, seriously denting the roof!)

One solution is to choose a dwarf cultivar of the coconut tree.   The one pictured here is known as Niu Leka.   This variety is said to have originated in the South Pacific.  As a result, it is sometimes called either the Fiji Dwarf, or the Samoan Dwarf (take your pick!).  Regardless of which common name you choose, it is a cultivar of Cocos nucifera.  The ones we see locally in Hawaii, like the one in the photo, usually grow to a maximum height of around 20 feet, making the job of trimming them much simpler.  The coconuts on these trees also are easier to reach.

Flowers on a Golden Shower Tree

Golden Shower Tree (Cassia fistula)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I was outdoors trying to photograph some birds.  They were not cooperating.  They kept hiding in the trees!  Not to be defeated, I decided to take some pictures of the flowering trees instead.  Here is one of those shots.

These are the flowers on a Golden Shower Tree (Cassia fistula).  The blossoms grow in pendulous clusters called a 'racemes' -- sort of like an upside-down bouquet.  When fully in bloom, the tree looks like a golden cloud from a distance.  Later, long bean-shaped seed pods will replace the flowers.

Shower trees are native to south Asia, but are very popular here in Hawaii where they are seen along streets, and in parks, as well as in people's gardens.  They come in several color varieties.

Felicia's Rainbow, #3

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

After the sun had been up for awhile, all that remained of the early morning rainbow -- brought to us courtesy of tropical depression Felicia -- was a faint wisp of color beneath a cloud over Kawaihae Bay.

Note: This is the third in a series of photos of Felicia's Rainbow. Here is the earliest photo of this rainbow; here is the second photo of the rainbow.

I posted two more photos of this rainbow to Twitpic: double rainbow here; and another shot of the bay here.

Felicia's Rainbow, #2

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Here is another view of the rainbow brought to us early this morning by Felicia, formerly a hurricane, now a tropical depression sitting to the east of the Hawaiian Islands.  The air at dawn this morning was so thick with moisture that it was hard to catch a breath, but we appreciated the unexpected sight of this rainbow.

Felicia's Rainbow

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

For the past week or so, we have been anticipating the arrival of a tropical cyclone named Felicia.  At one point, Felicia was a Category 4 hurricane.   Fortunately, she gradually decreased in strength as she crossed the Pacific.

This morning, Felicia is a tropical depression and her center is situated a couple hundred miles east of the Hawaiian Islands.  Shower bands ahead of the storm have made the air thick with moisture.  First thing this morning, we looked out toward the ocean and saw this rainbow above our hedge, glowing in the dawn light.
 I took several pictures; this is the first.

Flowers on a Mango Tree

Name: Mango (Mangifera indica L.)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

When our mango trees are in flower, two things are certain: a) delicious fruit is on its way; b) I will be sneezing until the fruit replaces the blossoms.   I am allergic to mango pollen, but fortunately I am not allergic to the wonderful fruit!

Tip for the allergy-prone from someone who has learned the hard way:  Never hang your freshly laundered bedsheets out to dry on a clothesline strung under a mango tree that is in bloom! ;-)

Layer of clouds in a sunny morning sky

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Several days ago the sky above my house looked like this in the morning.  The sun was up, and the sky was a pretty blue, but a pesky layer of altocumulus clouds formed overhead.  Usually when we see clouds like that they eventually thicken into an overcast, but not this time.  The sunny blue sky prevailed in the end and the clouds simply evaporated!

Bee wings, be still!

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

At last, I was able to get a photo of the wings of a honey bee.  I've been taking a lot of photos of the honey bees that visit the cactus flowers in my neighbor's garden.  Several came out well, except that the wings were just a blur.  Solution: take a photo of a bee after it lands on a flower.  Wings are still, so no blur.