HAWAIIANA 8
I’ve been living in Maui since 1996, so I’ve
had a chance to experience lots of the elements that make up Hawaii. I am
surprised, however, that I just keep seeing things that are new to me,
interesting, remarkable, and perhaps worthy of sharing. Some of them are
unique, some are just common, but all of them caught my attention. I hope
you will find something here to tickle your fancy.
Monarch butterfly
Kamehameha butterfly
Mainland visitors might feel right at home in
Hawaii when they see a familiar looking butterfly, however they should examine it
carefully. The Monarch butterfly common to North America has indeed been
introduced to Hawaii, while the similar-looking Kamehameha butterfly is endemic.
You may see either one.
Hawaii happy face spider
Cane spider
The tiny (5 mm (0.20 in) long) happy face spider is endemic to O’ahu,
Moloka’i, Maui and the island of Hawai’i in rainforests at elevations of
300–2,000 m (980–6,560 ft). Although the body markings vary considerably,
for some reason, just like our visitors, on Maui the smiles are significantly
more pronounced.
The large (3 to 4 in. diameter with legs!) cane spider is common in Hawaii
due to the cane fields and is quite startling to see. It is more apt to
avoid human contact rather than seek it. Although a rare bite might be
painful, it doesn’t seem to have lasting effects.
Praying mantis
Brahminy blind snake
Just before Christmas, this praying mantis
dropped by for a visit and stayed quiet while I took several pictures. It
was a beautiful day which you can see by the clear sky behind it. I have
no idea which of the 2400 species this guy is, but we got ‘em.
We like to think of Hawaii as without snakes,
but there is one land snake that was introduced in about 1930 and is pretty
comfortable here. It looks very much like a worm and is in the 6 to 8 inch
range and lives underground so you’re not apt to see it unless you are digging
or otherwise disturbing the ground.
Papakōlea Beach
Green sand
Once in a while I see a picture that is
other-worldly. It’s hard to believe the picture is not doctored.
This pair and the next are examples of such places that are here in Hawaii.
The green sand of Papakōlea Beach is wonderful to see and very rare.
Sources claim there are only four (or maybe just two) such places in the world.
It is near South Point on the Big Island and requires a fairly strenuous trek to
actually stand on it. The green “Hawaiian diamonds” are olivine or peridot
when of gem quality.
Sandy’s Pond (anchialine)
Collecting samples of the orange crust
Sandy’s Pond is one of the most intriguing
places I’ve ever seen pictured and I’d love to see it. The water, orange
crust, and bright green grass against the black lava comprise a visual treat.
It is very close to me at the ʻĀhihi-Kīnaʻu Natural Area Reserve, but unfortunately, it is
currently under limited access.
The body of water is an anchialine pond, near the ocean, with access to
both fresh and ocean water, resulting in the orange crust of organisms
surrounding it.
Rainbow from my living room
Double rainbow on the beach
Rainbows are very common in Maui and
throughout the state of Hawaii. To prove it, the left picture was taken
from my living room. The right pic shows a double rainbow taken from a
Hawaiian beach.
Dead boar looking at his image
Decorated windshield
Have you ever seen a dead boar splayed across
the bed of a pickup that has a sticker of a boar on it?
Have you ever seen a driver side windshield
nearly obscured with colorful junk?
AFTERWORD
I hope you found something
interesting in this set. For those of you who live in Hawaii (or even
those who have visited), I encourage you to contribute pictures and/or stories
as candidates for future Hawaiiana Ponograms – I’m pretty sure there will be
more.
You will notice that I don’t
give a lot of details about any given item. This is partly to cater to the
typical attention span, but also to afford you the opportunity to follow up with
your own research, but only on items that interest you. You’re welcome.
I look forward to your
responses!