Powder Puff Hibiscus

Powder Puff Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Monsa')

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This lovely hibiscus has been flourishing in our garden in Hawaii for several years.  The plant bears double, puff-ball shaped blossoms.  The flowers are ivory-white, but some of the petals have a pinkish tinge.

The Powder Puff hibiscus was developed and introduced by the Monrovia horticultural company.  

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 

Location:  Estes Park, Colorado, USA

The Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)  is a resident of evergreen forest areas of western North America, especially at higher elevations.  This individual was photographed in the town of Estes Park, Colorado near the eastern border of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Steller's Jays are large songbirds that belong to the family Corvidae.  The family includes crows, ravens and magpies along with jays.  Like their eastern cousins, the Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), Steller's Jays are omnivores and are also known to rob the nests of other bird species.  They are good mimics, able to imitate the calls of other birds as well as the chirps of small mammals like squirrels.

Yellow-bellied Marmot

Yellow-bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)

Location:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

A large member of the Squirrel family, the Yellow-bellied Marmot is known to live at high elevations in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountains.  I photographed this individual in Rocky Mountain National Park near the Alpine Visitor Center at Fall River Pass, elevation 11,796 feet (3,595 meters).