Ecstasy Hibiscus Macro

Ecstasy Hibiscus - photographed in Hawaii

This is a macro photo of  'Ecstasy' --  one of my favorite Hibiscus varieties.  Here are some earlier photos of the Ecstasy Hibiscus:

• A Hibiscus called 'Ecstasy'
• More 'Ecstasy' from the garden
• A double portion of 'Ecstasy'

Cool Wind tropical hibiscus

'Cool Wind' tropical hibiscus variety

Location:  Kohala Coast, Hawaii

This hibiscus variety is called Cool Wind.  The blossoms are relatively large -- about five inches across. This is a tropical hibiscus variety that does not tolerate frost.  However, in cooler climates the Cool Wind hibiscus can be grown indoors.

Morning Glory Hibiscus

'Morning Glory' tropical hibiscus variety

Location:  Kohala Coast, Hawaii

This hibiscus variety is known as Morning Glory.  The shrub produces large, showy blossoms with ruffled edges.  A tropical variety, the Morning Glory hibiscus does well in Hawaii, bearing blossoms year-round.

Flaming Wind Tropical Hibiscus

'Flaming Wind' Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) 

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii 

This hibiscus cultivar is called Flaming Wind.  The hardy shrub has smooth green leaves and it bears velvety scarlet blossoms year-round.  Each blossoms lasts only for a day or so, but new ones pop out continually.  Flaming Wind's brilliant color makes it a real eye-catcher in the garden.

Sahara Wind Hibiscus

'Sahara Wind' Hibiscus

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This brilliantly colored tropical hibiscus variety is called Sahara Wind.  It grows in our garden in Hawaii.  It features golden-yellow petals and dark red in its throat, shading to a sort of magenta.  The blossoms usually last just a day, but as each one dies and falls to the ground a new one opens to replace it elsewhere on the shrub.

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.  

Male Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata)

Male Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This moth is a member of the 'Owl Moth' family (Noctuidae).  It is a large moth, with a wingspan of about six inches.  One way to tell the males and females apart:  the female has a bright white stripe across its wings, while the male does not.  Some time ago, I posted a photo of a female Black Witch moth.  If you have a look at that earlier photo, the difference in coloration between the sexes will be obvious.

The Egg of the Common Myna is "Robin Egg Blue"

Egg of Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

You may know that the American Robin lays eggs that are a pretty pale turquoise color.  You may not know (until now) that the Common Myna also lays eggs that are, um, "robin egg blue."  We spotted this one under a shrub near the edge of our garden in Hawaii.

I'm not a canary, I'm a Saffron Finch

Male Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The Saffron Finch (Sicalis flaveola) is quite common in Hawaii.  Many people -- especially visitors -- mistake them for canaries, presumably because of the bright yellow feathers sported by the males. (The female Saffron Finch is less brightly colored.)

Please, the Saffron Finch wants you to remember: Not all small, bright yellow birds are canaries!

Cardinal in flight

Male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I keep thinking that one day I'll master the art of photographing birds in flight.   To that end, I keep trying. Here is one of my latest attempts.

Turkey in a tree

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Here's another photo of Bertha, the wild turkey who graced us with her presence for a period of several months.  In my previous post about Bertha, I mentioned that she dominated the ground feeder in our garden during her stay.  Here is proof that she also tried her best to take over a small bird feeder in one of our trees.  We saw her in the tree like this on a number of occasions.  She would contort this way and that, trying to get at the seeds in the feeder, but because of her size and bulky shape she ultimately would lose her footing and need to return to the ground -- much to the relief of the local finches and sparrows.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Female Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This Wild Turkey hen was a daily visitor to the garden of our house in Hawaii for several months.  From time to time, flocks of wild turkeys wander through our property.  Usually they simply pass through, but for some reason, this individual decided to stay awhile.  My husband named her Big Bertha.

During the time that Bertha hung out at our place, she dominated the ground feeder:  All the other birds deferred to her.  (She also scared the bejeezus out of our poor cat!)  She left as abruptly as she arrived.  One day she failed to show up at the feeder, and then we never saw her again.

In case you are wondering, this species was intentionally introduced into  the Hawaiian Islands as a game bird.  Most source material on the subject says the first turkeys were brought to the islands in the late 18th century.  Here is a reliable reference about Wild Turkey population in Hawaii, from the Bishop Museum (2-page PDF).

Female House Finch (Carpodacus mexicana)

House Finch - female (Carpodacus mexicana)

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Mrs. House Finch snatched a sunflower seed from the bird feeder and flew to a nearby tree branch to enjoy it in peace.  She may not be as colorful as her mate, but we still think this female house finch is a nice looking little bird.

Hula Girl tropical hibiscus blossom

Hula Girl hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinesis)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This is the 'Hula Girl' tropical hibiscus , a cultivar of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis.  Among the many varieties of hibiscus in our garden in Hawaii, this one produces the largest blossoms -- about six inches (15 cm) across.  It is one of our favorites.

In case you are wondering about the name, this hibiscus variety is often worn by hula dancers in their hair, or tucked behind the ear.  This flower is chosen for practical reasons:  Unlike most hibiscus, these large yellow blossoms stay fresh-looking for quite awhile after they are picked, thus they are preferred by hula dancers.

Stormy day on Hawaii's Big Island

Location: Kohala Coast,Big Island, Hawaii

We knew a storm was headed our way, so I was not surprised to see this scene when I looked outside at about 8:30 this morning.  As it turned out, the storm dumped torrents of rain on some parts of the Big Island, and a waterspout was spotted off the Kona coast (well south of us).  Local news Web site Hawaii 24/7 has published a page with pictures of damage from today's storm, and a video clip of the waterspout.

Our district heard the thunder and got some rain, but not so much as elsewhere on the island.  Still, the rain was enough to make the flowers in our garden perk up.

Timeless Puako, Hawaii

Puako shoreline

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Puako is a small seaside village on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii's Big Island.  The rugged coastline at Puako was created by an old lava flow from Mauna Loa volcano.  The dark sections jutting into the ocean in this photo are fingers of that old lava flow.  The coastline here is very irregular, featuring stretches of black lava punctuated by small pocket beaches composed of coral sand.  There are a few small black sand beaches there as well.  Because the surface of the lava along the shore is so uneven, there are plenty of tidepools.

We lived in Puako for awhile in the 1990s, until we moved to a new house several miles up the coast.  Although we no longer live there, Puako is still our favorite spot for diving, snorkeling and tidepooling.

Hula Girl tropical hibiscus

Hula Girl hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinesis)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This tropical hibiscus blossom is called Hula Girl.  Unlike most hibiscus varieties, the blossoms of this cultivar do not immediately wilt when picked from the bush.  Because the blossoms usually stay fresh for awhile after picking, they can be worn in the hair or pinned to clothing.  They are thus favored by hula dancers who sometimes wear these blossoms as a part of their costume.   It is said that this is how the Hula Girl hibiscus acquired its common name.

A cultivar of Hibiscus rosa-sinesis, the Hula Girl is one of the hardier hibiscus varieties in our garden. The blossoms are large -- nearly six inches (15 cm) across.

Bright morning with altocumulus clouds

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The early morning light was bright, even though the sky over our garden was partly covered by these altocumulus clouds.  The flowering tree in the foreground is a Rainbow Plumeria.

Pa'u 'o Hi'iaka - Hawaiian coastal wildflower

Pa'u 'o Hi'iaka (Jacquemontia ovalifolia ssp. sandwicensis)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This pretty little wildflower is called Pa'u 'o Hi'iaka, which translates to 'skirt of Hi'iaka.  (In Hawaiian mythology, Hi'iaka was a sister to the volcano goddess, Pele).

Pa'u 'o Hi'iaka is a member of the Morning Glory family.  It is a perennial, and is seen mostly in coastal areas on the leeward sides of the Hawaiian Islands.  It roots in small patches of dirt between rocks and spreads out as a trailing vine.

At one time, this pant was thought to be a Hawaiian endemic, i.e., found only in Hawaii.  Older books and reference materials give the scientific name as Jacquemonita sandwicensis.  More recently it was determined to be a subspecies of Jacquenmontia ovalifolia, which is found in some other tropical areas such as Mexico and the West Indies.  As a result, the status of Pa'u 'o Hi'iaka was changed from 'endemic' to 'indigenous' to Hawaii, and its full scientific name is now Jacquemontia ovalifolia ssp. sandwicensis - quite a mouthful of a name for such a dainty little flower!

Lone Kiawe tree near the ocean

Kiawe (Prosopis pallida)

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The area around the Kaiholena Public Shoreline Access in the North Kohala district of Hawaii's Big Island is very dry.  Vegetation mostly consists of grasses, scrubby bushes and Kiawe trees.  This particular Kiawe tree (Prosopis pallida) stands like a lone sentinel at the base of the footpath that leads from the parking area to the shoreline.

Note:  For more information about the Kiawe, click here.