A Christmas plant in glorious Christmas color!

MISSED MY POST DATE - excitement of the holidays! Hope you had a good one!
Merry Christmas Eve!

Couldn’t go past this gorgeous Poinsettia plant just down the street without taking a photo. In the over twenty years of living on my street, I have watched this Poinsettia plant go from a tiny two-to three bloom plant to this huge, vibrant, magnificent multi-bloom bush! I thought it would be a perfect photo for a Christmas Eve post. There is something more vibrant about the red, in the sun, against the blue sky.

Poinsettia / in neighbor's yard / November 2015

Growing up in San Diego, I am used to seeing Poinsettia in neighborhood yards. Although throughout Southern California and Hawaii, I have never seen a Poinsettia bush (tree!) as lovely as this! With this plant as a model, I have tried to grow potted Poinsettia that were received as gifts. I am sad that I have not ever had success in growing any.

Some things I already know about Poinsettia:

1) While growing up, there were a number of large nurseries for Poinsettia (in greenhouses) outside of San Diego.

2) Poinsettia exude a milky sap when leaves / stems are broken. Milky saps can cause allergic reactions in some people, like my husband.

3) The red “petals” are not petals but bracts. Definition of bract The actual flower is the tiny yellow florescence in the middle of the large red (or pink or white) “petals.”

4) The plant originates from Mexico.

Other facts can be found (and confirmed) here: Facts about Poinsettia

Merry Christmas to all that celebrate this joyous holiday! 

Best wishes of peace and the celebration of life to all!

Red and green colors of the season - in nature

In celebration of the holiday season, I decided to post photos of animals with the brightest natural colors of red and green! One of the wonders of nature is the amazing colors that are found in living things. For these colors, I turned to revisits of two previously described animals - one of my all time favorites, the Northern Red Cardinal Cornell Lab of Ornithology information and a missed favorite, the Green Anole. Lizards in Hawaii

Northern Red Cardinal / on my lawn / November 2015 

Green Anole / in my backyard / November 2015

I still look out for "my" Cardinal whenever I hear its loud persistent chirp. I love to watch its bright figure flit from plant to plant. I also do see the female periodically. [Thursday, October 8, 2015 Still Favorite Birds / Nature at Home - October 1, 2015] 

I keep trying for closer and closer photos. I also am keeping my eye out for baby cardinals but haven't seen any signs yet. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled to see this large Green Anole in my yard! I was cutting back vegetation in my yard and saw it after everything was cleared away. 

Perhaps rather than going “high” as sited in another blogger’s site, the Green Anole likes to live among moist cool, green foliage! In contrast, I almost always see the Brown Anole in dryer more open areas. This Green Anole was very close to the ground. [ “When threatened, the green anole tends to go up, the brown anole down.” Hawaii Nature Journal] 

The absence of the Green Anole was discussed in a past blog when I lamented how long it had been since I had seen a Green Anole around my yard. That blog dealt with the more aggressive Brown Anole which now dominates my yard. [Thursday, October 29, 2015 More violence in my yard!] 

It was nice to observe the Green Anole again. It is pretty, shy, and slow moving as opposed to the bold, aggressive, and swift Brown Anole.

Green Anole / in my backyard / November 2015

Hope all your holiday happenings are peaceful and joyful!

One of the greatest "miracles of nature" - the butterfly!

As a child, I was lucky enough to become familiar with the iconic butterfly life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly. It starts with a vibrantly tiger-striped caterpillar (larva), then turns into an exquisite pale green jeweled cocoon / chrysalis (pupa), and then slowly emerges as the orange and black veined Monarch. Life Cycle of Monarch

A neighbor had crown flower bushes which we used for making lei. As we picked flowers, I imagine that is how we became familiar with the Monarchs. I remember we inevitably collected caterpillars to “grow” cocoons. I can still remember how the caterpillars felt in my hands! 

Earlier this year, around my house, I have seen a lot of Monarchs flitting about. Or at least monarch-like butterflies; after brief research I see there a number of butterflies that look like a Monarch! More recently I noticed a new type of butterfly frequenting a plant near my house. I was pretty sure it was a swallowtail as I thought I saw the extensions of the wings below but was not positive. Incidentally, when I earlier sighted the butterfly on this plant, my husband asked me whether I wasn’t glad he had not removed the plant when asked. A definite dilemma - keep an unsightly plant or attract wildlife! 

As I pondered what to write about this week, I was led to find that my blogging lives a charmed life. I decided to just go sit outside on my deck with my camera and “photo-hunt” the elusive possible swallowtail butterfly that I had seen. Within minutes, I saw the desired butterfly flit by a few times and alight on the targeted plant and focused my camera on the plant. Then the butterfly came to stay and I took a few shots and stood up and got even closer and closer. It did not move! I was so surprised because in the past when I got closer, the feeding butterfly would fly away! 

What I noticed:

1) It was a swallowtail of some type. I researched and it is a Citrus Swallowtail (Butterflies in Hawaii).

2) It kept its wings moving the whole time it fed on the flowers. I didn’t realize that butterflies would behave like hummingbirds.

3) It is a relatively a large butterfly.

4) I could see the butterfly feeding on nectar. I did know that in this way, butterflies are like hummingbirds. Apparently like hummingbirds, this one is attracted to red / orange flowers.

As the butterfly amazingly kept at its work, I was lucky to catch some great shots. In the first photo, notice the intricate reflected patterns on the wings of the butterfly.

Citrus Swallowtail / on plant in my yard / December 2015

In the next two photos, look carefully for the LONG black mouthpart which sucks the nectar.

Citrus Swallowtail / on plant in my yard / December 2015

Citrus Swallowtail / on plant in my yard / December 2015

In the last photo below, notice the pollen caught on the wings of the butterfly illustrating the mutualistic relationship of the insect passing on the pollen of a plant as the insect uses the plant for food. Mutualism of insects and plants

Citrus Swallowtail / on plant in my yard / December 2015 

Then the butterfly finally left the plant and another came along. I had rarely seen two of these butterflies before! Maybe that is why the one stayed around for so long; it was waiting. The two flitted about in a seemingly ritualistic dance, right around me! 

Citrus Swallowtails / around plants in my yard / December 2015 

All of these shots did not come out as well but there a few that are interesting. The second photo is especially interesting as I think the mouthpart is extended and curled in one of the butterflies! I am not sure of the significance of that. Mating "dance" of butterflies

The two butterflies periodically treated me to a few of such “dances” while I watched for better shots.

But there were no shots as good as the first series when the original Citrus Swallowtail providentially posed for me so I could create my “charmed” Watching Out for Nature blog for the week. 

Maybe someday I will be able to get closer shots of the Monarch (or monarch-type) butterflies that flit about my yard!

Waves and Winter in Hawaii

It is that time of year in Hawaii where the North Shore calls to locals, tourists, and of course surfers! We went out to view waves at the “open” of the season and I went recently with touring guests. 

Sunset Beach / October 2015

"Wave watching" is something that obviously fascinates many whether it is to watch the surfers perform amazing feats or to just enjoy the power of nature as the ocean reminds us that it is the never-ending master of the shoreline. 

Pupukea / October 2015 

The ocean cracks rocks, undermines hillsides, assaults vegetation, tosses wild animals (visit my NATURE - TRAVELING page to see this) and humans alike, and shapes our shorelines with its incessant pounding and surging. 

I love to sit and just watch the waves. One never imagines that there are so many shades of blue or that white foam could take so many forms and create so many powerful patterns. 

Turtle Bay / October 2015

For those who snorkel or scuba dive, view these photos of favorite snorkeling spots. 

There is Pupukea (Shark’s Cove) right at the beginning of October and Turtle Bay just yesterday.

My husband and I sat on Sunset Beach in October and watched the waves, surfers, and the sunset. What a way to end a day! Ah, the joys of living in Hawaii...

Sunset Beach / October 2015

[Please visit my NATURE - TRAVELING page (accessed on the sidebar) for photos and discussion of summer waves and wildlife in California and Oregon!]

Turkeys in Hawaii and where do birds go when it rains? And rains? And rains?

Happy Thanksgiving!

In celebration of Thanksgiving, I will discuss turkeys in Hawaii although I no longer have any photos of them. :( I got rid of those “hard copies” of photos. Many years ago, I saw a turkey up at Camp Timberline! Has anyone else seen the turkeys there? It was probably the first wild turkey that I ever saw. I imagined they were wild as the turkeys looked nothing like the large white-feathered ones that are often seen. I wonder how those turkeys got there. Perhaps  their origin harkens way back to the 1800’s when “pioneers” in Hawaii may have brought the turkeys for hunting (or eating) purposes. 

I also remember seeing a turkey on another island. When I was in Boston I saw a wild turkey on Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor. [Please go to my NATURE - TRAVELING page (accessed on the sidebar) for the photo of a turkey on another island!]

For the last week or so, Hawaii (or at least Oahu) has been experiencing persistent and soaking rains. Sometimes it pours and other times, in the heights, we are engulfed in a rain cloud and the rain mists blow across the valleys in sheets. Except for a sunny day on Wednesday, we have had rain and more rain every day since Thursday of last week. 

One day, after a particularly drenching squall, it finally stopped raining and I happened to be looking out the window when I saw our common Spotted and Zebra Doves in various places out in the open. Doves in Hawaii It was evident that the first two Spotted Doves were not able to find a place to stay dry. That is indicative of the strength of the downpour as I have never seen such wet birds before! 

Spotted Doves / on power lines outside my house / November 2015 

I watched the Spotted Dove on the left fly to other locations and it seemed unconcerned about cleaning up. 

The second photo shows some small Zebra Doves drying off their wings by cleaning their feathers. 

Spotted & Zebra Doves / on neighbor's shed / November 2015

And the final photo, I like to title “Birds on the ‘Line’ Out to Dry;" it speaks for itself!

Zebra Doves / in my neighbor’s graden / November 2015

In conclusion, I guess sometimes birds cannot find a place to go to keep dry!

Hope you are having / had a great Thanksgiving celebration with you and yours and that you are staying dry and warm wherever you are!

[Don’t forget to visit my NATURE - TRAVELING page (accessed on the sidebar) for the photo of a turkey on another island!]

Follow up on Birds and Mushrooms (not plants)

Cattle Egret / Aiea Heights / November 2015

In this just past week, since I had a lot of pertinent sightings of past topics, I decided to just do a quick follow up, with photos, to show what was mentioned in earlier blogs about birds (November 12, 2015) and mushrooms (November 5, 2015). 

I was out for a run both times so it is the old-not-too-high-quality iPhone photo. Be sure to read to the end to see the mushroom photos!

I saw an Egret right in a housing complex near my house; I had never seen one so close to home before. Maybe someday I will see one in my yard!

Black-crowned Night Heron / Ala Moana Beach Park / November 2015

I sighted a number of the Heron sitting by a fisherman near the canal as I mentioned in an earlier blog. (I didn’t want to include the fisherman as I don’t like to take and post photos without someone’s permission.) 

But one of my questions was answered; I saw the fisherman throw his fish to the birds! Two of them flew off together and fought over it. The photo I took of them did not come out. 

So there those Herons sit, on the canal’s edge, with their hunched shoulders waiting for handouts. 

Like so many of our birds in Hawaii, they have adapted to the human presence and as mentioned in my first blog, unfortunately will become dangerously domesticated to getting fed by humans.

Mushrooms / Moanalua Valley / November 2015

While setting out for a run in Moanalua Valley, I sighted this mushroom sprouted alongside the road. I could not believe its size! I remembered to include my hand for size comparison. I have never seen such a large mushroom; the crown was bent over because it was too large! 

Later I saw a row of what seemed to be the same type of mushroom on a lawn farther up the valley. It is almost like what they call "fairy circles." But of course it is not a circle. Does it denote a wind pattern?

Mushrooms / Moanalua Valley / November 2015

So mushrooms seem to also vary by neighborhood. That makes sense since the spores are so tiny and could not travel too far. I noticed this too near my house as farther down from my street there were smaller much whiter mushrooms. 

Mushrooms / Aiea Heights / October 2015

Some of my earlier questions were partially answered (November 5, 2015) as about a month later, more mushrooms appeared on the very same lawn, almost in the same exact spot. So spores could last at least a month. Also, across the street from that lawn, I also saw what seemed to be the same mushrooms.

Please go to my NATURE - TRAVELING page (accessed on the sidebar) for some interesting beach sightings of Cnidaria. There, I will begin the subtopic of What is this? This is when there is such an interesting sighting, I have to wonder what happened or why did this happen. I briefly touched on that with my earlier mushroom blog (November 5, 2015).

Bird sighting gems while taking exercise walks!

I thought it was time to start my NATURE -  AROUND HAWAII page. Although it is “around Hawaii,” some locations for photos are right in my neighborhood! 

[Later, Please go to my NATURE - AROUND HAWAII page (accessed on the sidebar) for more bird sightings along the Trail.]

My topic today is the walking / biking trail along Pearl Harbor. We just recently went on a walk there and I was happy to see Hawaiian Stilts out in the open right opposite Blaisdell Park. Recently someone has been clearing out the brush (mostly mangrove) in a lot of the areas fronting the harbor. [Thank you to the group(s) who have been doing this!] This makes for a nicer walk with nice views. 

Apparently the birds like the cleared out areas too. (Or perhaps the birds are just more visible now.) In the past, we would see the birds further on along the trail, most of them all the way to the small watercress farm which is on either side of the trail. This farm is just past the Hawaiian Electric power plant. In that area, we have occasionally seen bird watching walking groups.  

The Hawaiian Stilts are such beautiful and unique birds to see. They are graceful and delicate with black and white coloring and red legs. The Stilt found in Hawaii is related to the Black-necked Stilt but like other native birds have changed subtly over the eons to be a new species. 

Source for Hawaiian Stilt information

Hawaiian Stilt (Ae’o) / PHHT Pearl Harbor Historic Trail / November 2015

Unlike other birds I have mentioned in this blog, stilts are found in groups and very often in pairs like the two pictured. I have most often seen the stilts walking in the water. I have seen them in a grassy field (Blaisdell Park) but that was a one-time occurrence. There were a lot of birds there that day so perhaps the field was very wet and there were a lot of visible and accessible bugs to eat.

Note in my photo captions I call it the PHHT Pearl Harbor Historic Trail because I worked with a woman once who was enthusiastic about plans to modify that whole trail to include the old style train which used to parallel the harbor. If you walk the walking / bike trail there are PHHT mileage signs along the way. Aiea Community projects

Please go to my NATURE - AROUND HAWAII page (accessed on the sidebar) for more bird sightings along the Trail.

Pop-up "Plants” (and the plant-like)

I am sure many of you have seen this occur - a mushroom pops up on your lawn!

Mushroom on my lawn / September 2015

Usually this occurs after some continuous rain. I was especially captivated by this mushroom as it was larger than those I normally see on my lawn. I do not know anything about species of mushrooms. I only know some basic facts.

• Mushrooms are not plants and do not have any vascular tissue (vein structures).
• Mushrooms are in Kingdom Fungi which is a diverse group ranging from single celled organisms (yeast which only survives in liquid) to large bracket fungi (found on sides of trees) and mushrooms like these.  (Mushroom classification source)
• I think the basic rule for eating mushrooms found in the wild is - never,  ever, ever eat them unless you are a well trained mycologist (one who studies fungi) specializing in edible mushrooms in the wild. 
• Mushrooms reproduce using spores (reproductive cell capable of giving rise to a new individual - directly or indirectly). 
• The structure above is a reproductive structure; when it opens up like this it is spreading spores. 
• Mushrooms will also grow from leafy wet piles in forested areas.

As I don’t know much about mushrooms, I have lots of questions and this is a good time to advocate for questioning. When one questions, more learning occurs as one wonders and thinks. For some questions I can hypothesize some answers.

• Since this structure spreads spores, why didn’t I see any more of this type of mushroom over the next day?
• How did a spore to grow this mushroom get here?
• How long will spores remain dormant?
• How did the different mushrooms/fungi get to Hawaii?

Please go to the NATURE - TRAVELING page (accessed in the sidebar) for another, very unique, “pop-up plant” I found on an Oregon trail.

More violence in my yard!

As you know, I am fascinated by the Northern Red Cardinal pair that flit behind and around my house. I love their sounds and their bright coloring. My new goal was to get photos of the pair together. I have had some luck! [See my two different photos in the Nature - At  Home page accessed on the sidebar.]

But one day as I used my camera to hunt the flighty, twitting cardinals, I caught the painful violence of nature. Sometimes violence occurs as species fight for territory. Sometimes violence occurs as species fight for food. And in the case I captured, I believe it is both. A Brown Anole is hungry and gets rid of an invading smaller lizard in the process.

Brown Anole on deck / in my yard / October 2015

Brown Anole on deck / in my yard / October 2015

Sometimes this violence occurs between species or within a species. From my photos, it is hard to tell if this was between or within species. I fear it is between species, the cheerful gecko losing out to the aggressive Brown Anole. See the photos below for the before and after. [There are more distressing close up photos on the Nature - At  Home page accessed on the sidebar.]

In the past, my friends and I have discussed the presence of the Brown Anole. Starr Environmental (a great local source I just found) My friends told me that the Brown Anole was more aggressive then the Green Anole. I hadn’t really noticed this. I knew that I hadn't seen a Green Anole around my trash can any more. I named it Bruiser (for the trash can). I felt confident it was catching flies there. It lived there for many years or maybe it was more than one generation.

Within the past year, I have exclusively noticed Brown Anoles jumping from plants to our new side yard deck and climbing on citronella lamp poles. The aggression my friends had told me about was noticeable as I when I wanted to sit down, I would actually have to make a move of aggression before the lizard moved! Some of the Brown Anoles I see also are the largest lizard around my yard with powerful back legs and long tails. 

In my research, the two Anoles are indeed named just by their colors. One website describes the aggression between the two anoles. [I just found this site and it is similar to mine with greater details and scientific information on local species. Another local Nature Blog] The writer notes that where there is overlap in ranges the Green Anole goes up within the trees and the Brown Anole stays down. I hope there are still Green Anoles higher up in the vines and canopies that dominate my neighborhood!

FIGHT! FIGHT!

For this week’s blog, I yet again planned to write about something other than birds but witnessed an amazing sight last Saturday! While having a pleasant lunch at our neighbors’ house, we heard all sorts of bird noise and saw two plovers active on our neighbors’ lawn. The joy of Hawaii living - indoor/outdoor living with large windows and doors allowed us to witness a captivating nature sight! 

We heard many loud calls and looked to see one plover chasing another on the lawn. We knew from past viewings that one plover was already established on this lawn; but it seemed another plover was trying to take over! Like the plovers’ perseverance in flying from Alaska to Hawaii, this behavior went on for about an hour. One finally won out but we were never sure if the already established plover retained control or not. At one time a third plover got involved but I was not able to get a photo of that. The battery on my camera ran out. That is why true photographers buy a spare battery.

Here are a few still shots of some of their chasing and fighting “moves” It was actually sad to watch the aggression evidenced during their tropical island winter interlude. 

Pacific Golden Plovers / neighbor’s yard  / October 17, 2015 

Pacific Golden Plovers take down / neighbor’s yard  / October 17, 2015 

Yet another example of learning from nature at home - just outside my door. Go out and find your own examples; you will be amazed at what you can see. The more you see, the more you learn, and hopefully the more you will want to learn!

[To see videos of the surprisingly aggressive behavior of these quiet birds go to my Nature - At Home page accessed on the sidebar. On that page, you will also find another entry about the Pacific Golden Plover from October 8, 2015.]

Aliens!

I can hear the persistent and loud call of the birds (I think it is only one or two at the most) I am going to highlight today. The green “parrot” flies in flocks around my home. Others are aware of this flock as, in my quick research on-line, I have read some articles about the flock. 

I didn’t want to write about birds again but these birds are becoming more prevalent closer to my house so they are on my mind. [Read more about the Rose-ringed Parakeet and why it is a parakeet on my Nature - At Home page accessed on the sidebar.] Of course, birds are a special favorite of mine!

Rose-ringed Parakeet / tree at my neighbor's house / October 8, 2015

To me this flock of Parakeets are pests. I think it is frightening to imagine large parrot-sized birds sitting on my deck or sitting on a tree right in my backyard! I am not sure why parrots, and other odd pets like chinchilla, are allowed to be brought into our state. After all a number of prominent failed “experiments” of introduced species to Hawaii are well established in the natural history of our state! 

Parrots as pets in Hawaii are very bothersome. Here are some reasons why:

1) It is irritating when you are walking around high visitor population locations and men roaming the sidewalk areas (notice most of the time they are men interacting with young women) put parrots on you for a photo. What if you were afraid of birds? At the very least it is intimidating to have a very large beak near your face! Secondly, one doesn’t want to be obligated to give a tip or money for the “use” of the parrot.

2) I like to provide education at all opportunities. The presence of these parrots in Hawaii, interacting with visitors to Hawaii, will lead people to believe the parrots are native to Hawaii. Just because the birds are “tropical” and they are brightly colored. This overshadows the presence of and importance of our colorful, and dainty in comparison, native forest birds with bright and delicate songs. Which of those two contrasting types of birds will our visitors even encounter, and remember, (besides all those pigeons) in Hawaii?

3) If these pet parrots get lost, which they obviously have in the past, the parrots could become a pest. I read an article in our local newspaper where an “expert” said these parrots have established flocks outside of their country of origin and have never developed into pests. 

I believe the one large flock of Rose-ringed Parakeets near my home are already pests! I really think something should be done about them before the parrots spread all over the island. In my years of living at my current home, the flock has increased in number. Many years before the flock included about twenty or so birds; now I estimate about a hundred or more birds flying when the birds are on the move.

The noise of this flock is also very irritating. My niece, when visiting, called them flying monkeys. Have you ever seen the old movie The Wizard of Oz? The flock arrives at dawn and leaves at dusk. The noise wakes you up on a sleep-in day. Once my friend was talking on the phone to my husband and she heard, over the phone, the noise of the flock flying away as she knew it would arrive in her valley soon!

As evidenced in my photos the parrots are boldly close to my home, actually closer to my neighbors. In more than 25 years of living in my current home, this is the first time I have seen these parrots so close. I don't want the parrots to scare away the sweet secretive cardinal pair that flit about and also visit that tree. (Although the Northern red cardinal is also introduced, it has been so long since its introduction few remember when the introduction occurred. Also the cardinal is smaller and appear in only one or two at a time in our neighborhood.)

The parrots also spew a very large amount of droppings (or guano which may be a term limited to sea birds). The spots on surfaces around my yard are disgustingly large. I hate to think if the numbers increased and there were more of the parrots sitting on the telephone lines like the doves. Just think if such a “splash” landed on your head! 

I think something should be done to ban the presence of potentially detrimental species as pets. At the very least, banning the presence of large parrots should be legislated.

Still Favorite Birds

The weather holds in a cooling fashion! This is the idyllic weather I am used to in Hawaii, especially at my home which is higher in the hills with bright blue sky and fluffy cloud in layers above. There was actually a slight chill (for Hawaii) in the air when I opened the front door!

Morning definitely is a good time to sight birds. On October 5, I was able to spot the elusive female Northern red cardinal. The photos did not come out as well as I hoped but here are a few if some of you have not been able to see a female. In her plain appearance, she still has a catchy look about her; the coloring in the eyes and beak area are nearly the same. Of course, nothing to compare with the vibrant red of her mate with black outlined eyes and beak. 

Northern Red Cardinal (female) on wall / tree in my neighbor’s yard / October 2015

When I was first photo hunting the male, I had a feeling there were two birds flitting away. I think the male and female give the same short chirp as they fly from here to there. So I was thrilled to run to the window at the sound of that chirp and to see a female nearly in the same location. The cardinal pair apparently are eating the strawberry guava in my neighbor’s tree. 

Please go to the NATURE - AT HOME page (accessed in the sidebar) for the story of the Pacific Golden-Plover in Hawaii.

Fall

It is raining yet again! At least the weather is cooler. It really feels like we may have what constitutes our fall in Hawaii  - the bit of relief from heat and humidity. In the past, when I taught weather many students who had experienced weather in other parts of the world would always say that Hawaii does not have seasons. I told them Hawaii does have seasons; the seasons are just not the stereotypical seasons others may experience in different parts of the United States and the world.

As an extreme, can any of us in the Northern Hemisphere grasp what it must be like to have a wintry June, July, and August? I know there are some areas of the Northern United States which have experienced snow in some of those months but imagine a long stretch of the coldest temperatures of your year during those months. I have friends who live in Australia and even the school year is arranged, and marked," differently! So the seasons Australia has are not "our" seasons. Every part of the world has seasons as the Earth revolving, and the changing tilt of the Earth in relation to the sun, create seasons. And we are all "traveling through space" on Earth!

Here in Hawaii, I can feel those subtle changes in weather as our Earth revolves away from its full tilt towards the sun. Yes, there may be those days interspersed, in December, which make us think of summer but in general there are many differences. Of course, with the strange weather we are having this year, I hope we do feel those seasonal differences.

Here are a few noticeable differences that I notice over the year. The ocean gets considerably colder and I will not swim in the ocean in December; it is too cold. If you are from here, try to scuba dive in winter. Of course, I was told the scuba dive business is busiest in winter! Also, you may not have realized it but plumeria trees lose their leaves at this time of year and definitely have a season of blooming and rebirth as do many of our flowering trees.

To get to the pages with photos and informational text, look to the side bar. With my first post, I created my first Nature - Traveling page, sharing highlights from a summer camping trip. For this post, I have just added the Nature - At Home page. (Couldn't get it to "link" properly.) Nature - Around Hawaii is not complete at this time.

The Blog will be organized into three parts:
Nature - At Home
Nature - Around Hawaii
Nature - Traveling

Enjoy! And remember October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you know someone who has or had cancer, give them your love and support!

THE BEGINNING...

This blog will use photos / videos taken from my yard and around Hawaii and past photos / videos from travels to show how one can always be watching out for nature and in the process appreciate and "watch out" for it!

I have always "observed" nature all around me. I notice nature outside the windows of my home and on the many highways and byways of my travels.
As I observe, I learn, categorize, and wonder.

I also love taking photographs.
I am especially fond of trying to capture birds and mammals. This is reinforced as my major in college was zoology.

Previously, I took photos for my students.
I always tried to use the photos to enrich student understanding of the world around and to spark an interest in how science surrounds all of us, all of the time.

The Blog will be organized into three parts:
Nature - At Home
Nature - Around Hawaii
Nature - Traveling

Now hopefully my photos, and observational anecdotes, can inspire and / or educate other "students" of nature!