The Things That Follow Me Home...

Aloe alooides. The Aloe are blooming like fiends and it's a great time to go out and...buy some more! This is the time of year when you can actually see what their flowers look and oh what fun it is! This one followed me home. I love the contrast between the dark nectar and the bright yellow flowers. The bees and hummingbirds love them too!

Heirloom Tomatoes at the Farmer's Market

Heirloom Tomatoes for sale at the farmer's market. Tomatoes in February is one of the benefits of living in a relatively warm, subtropical climate.

Phalaenopsis I-Hsin Sesame 'OX1178'

Phalaenopsis I-Hsin Sesame 'OX1178'. How do you know if someone has a LOT of orchids? When they given them clonal names like '0X1178' instead of things like freckles or spotted tiger, you know they have a LOT of orchids. Imagine if we started naming our kids like that? '007' could be setting a precedent!

The Immaculata

The Immaculata at University of San Diego. I figured, after all these years attending Law School at USD, I ought to snap a picture or two. Here's one of the Immaculata. Also featured is that funky, wind-blown norfolk island pine that gives it all just a bit of extra character.

Sinister Looking Old Kiawe Tree

Kiawe Tree, Prosopis pallida, Hanauma, Hawaii. It had a gnarled, twisted look that just reminded me of those old, twisted trees that attacked people in the scary movies. Or perhaps, it was just the stray mongoose that slinked up the trunk like it was his own private ramp up the cliff top. Either way, it looked like fun to snap a shot of. For you botanists out there, Kiawe is a species of mesquite that is native to Peru, Columbia and Equador, but was introduced to Hawaii as animal fodder (as was Haole Koa).

Puffing Away...

Porcupine fish, Diodon holocanthus, Hanauma Bay, Hawaii. This little fish was doing his best to stay out in front of me and just would not look into the lens. What's a diver to do?

Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria, on my persimmon tree. These have a more southerly distribution than the American Goldfinch and are particularly fond of thistle seed (actually Nyjer). They're quite gregarious and will crowd a sock full of thistle with perhaps 10 or 15 birds.

Just Like Spring

Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, singing. It's like Springtime in Southern California. The peaches are blooming and the birds are starting to nest. This little hummingbird has staked out the top branch on my apricot tree.

Who was Anna anyhow? Was she a famous ornithologist? A California settler? No, she was Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli. This little hummingbird was named after her by René Primevère Lesson, a French naturalist and surgeon, who served in the French navy during the Napoleonic wars.

Buckeye Butterfly

Buckeye Butterfly, Junonia coenia, Mission Trails Park. The adults are found in sunny/grassy fields and the caterpillars live on plantains.

Feels Like Spring

Aloe speciosa (or some close cousin in Asphodelaceae) blooming in the front yard. This year, probably due to the warm January and wet November/December here in Southern California, the Aloe are all blooming early. None of their flowers are quite as dramatic or as stately as the Aloe speciosa. Ironically, there are normally two Aloe speciosa blooming in the front yard each February. However, possibly because the bigger one is crowding out the smaller one, this year there was only one...but with twice the flowers as normal.

Nemo, is that you?

Percula clownfish, Amphiprion percula at the Waikiki Aquarium, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Spider Lilly in the Rain

Crinum amabile, Spider Lilly in the rain at the Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Prickly Pear

Prickly Pear Fruit, Makapu'u, Oahu. Do you suppose these brightly colored fruit have something to do with how the Opuntia cacti received its common name, Prickly Pear?

Boogie Board...

Boogie Board sans surfer, Makapu'u Beach.

Holy Tentacles!

Porites lobata, Coral head, Hanauma Bay, Oahu. Have you ever looked at a coral head up close? It's a wonderland community of tiny creatures. You can see the myriad of little tentacles waving in the current in this photo.

Smells Like Apricot!

Blc. Orange Digger 'Kiilani'. This lovely Cattleya has hard, waxy substance, a glossy sheen, rich orange color and, best of all, has the faintest smell of apricots and oranges.

Agave attenuata

Agave attenuata in bloom. These don't bloom very often but they make up in quatity what they don't do in frequency. The nectar is also a favorite with the birds.

Fishing for Christmas Dinner

This family was out fishing for Ulua (big Jacks) that run along the Makapu'u coast for Christmas dinner. I didn't notice them in the picture at first but when I zoomed in to the scenic shot, there they were! It's amazing how pictures reveal details that we might otherwise miss.

Taking Shelter from the Wind

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly (or Passiflora butterfly) taking shelter on the ground from strong gusty winds blowing over Makapu'u.

Happy 2011!

Wishing you all the best for 2011! Happy New Year! Goong Hee Fat Choy! Goong Hee Fa Tsai! Haouli Makahiki Hou! Bonne Annee!