Fluffy Flowers

I love the beautiful ʻŌhiʻa lehua. The perfect bright red color shows up best against a clear blue volcano area sky! (It is the photo I continue to pursue.)

ʻŌhiʻa flower / Hawaii Volcanoes National Park / February 2016

I wondered about this filamentous (fluffy) flower and then realized there are a number of such flowers here in Hawai’i. Thus another blog is born! 

The lehua blossom is also especially poignant when filmed against the backdrop of an active volcano as there are so many connections, in Hawaiian legend and ecology, between the two. I will mention an ecological connection; the ʻŌhiʻa tree is the first tree to populate new lava fields.

ʻŌhiʻa tree in flower / Hawaii Volcanoes National Park / April 2015

The filamentous flower does not meet the stereotypical vision of a flower with petals and lovely stamen and pistil coming out of the middle of the flower. But the filamentous flowers are certainly eye-catching in their color uniformity! [Although I do not like to use Wikipedia, this was the only source I could find that labels the flower parts of a filamentous flower.]

I always thought the ʻŌhiʻa must be related to the Bottle Brush. I grew up with a Bottle Brush tree in my yard in San Diego. I know the Bottle Brush is in the Myrtaceae family and then found that indeed the ʻŌhiʻa is also in that family. Classification and photos

Some form of Bottle Brush / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

As I thought about this blog I began to see, during some of my runs, a small bush with similar red filamentous flowers. 

Bush with red filamentous flowers / Mililani neighborhood / April 2016 

Red filamentous flower / Mililani neighborhood / April 2016

When I researched the ʻŌhiʻa by it’s scientific name (Metrosideros polymorpha), I found relatives in New Zealand and nearby islands. New Zealand website (takes awhile to load) What a surprise to see our beautiful ʻŌhiʻa nearly identically represented in other Pacific islands. That made me think about the origin of our ʻŌhiʻa species and theories about how the Polynesians first came to Hawai’i. Certainly our native plants “used” some of the same routes as the humans, traveling by water and air! 

White-yellow filamentous flower tree / near Aloha Stadium / April 2016 

 As I planned this blog, I also noticed what looked like a white-yellow version of a Bottle Brush. I did not identify it but as I look closely it looks more like a Eucalyptus tree. This makes sense as the Eucalyptus is also in the Myrtaceae family.

White-yellow filamentous flowers / near Aloha Stadium / April 2016

Some other common plants that I knew also had filamentous flowers are: the Monkeypod tree, Haole Koa, and Acacia. These are from a different family, the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family. These trees, as many of you have experienced, are some of the prevalent Hawai’i trees with pods to which I referred in another blog. (March 10, 2016: Winter flowering plants / trees in Hawai’i) How to recognize Fabaceae plants

Haole koa / Moanalua bike path / April 2016

Haole koa flowers / Moanalua bike path / April 2016 

Updated in May with a better photo of Monkeypods in bloom. I had a lone flower on the trees near Moanalua after seeing some Monkeypod trees in Kahala in full flower, showing how trees  / plants flower at different times over our island! [As a side note, I saw an article about how Monkeypod trees are being banned from being planted by the city to encourage the planting of native trees. Article from Honolulu magazine ]

Monkeypod tree in flower / Moanalua area / May 2016

The Haole Koa and Acacia, as you may guess, are related to our native Koa (and also Sandalwood) trees. The Acacia tree looks very similar to the two native trees with its sickle shaped leaves. 

Acacia / Aloha Stadium area / April 2016

Acacia flowers / Aloha Stadium area / April 2016

These “leaves” are actually called phyllodes and if you look closely on any of these species you might see some tiny juvenile compound true leaves at the tips of these phyllodes. 

Information source on Koa

Although a terrible problem for Hawai’i Island, the Albizia tree is a very mighty and impressive tree to see. Article about Hawai’i Island problem 

Albizia trees in flower / Aiea Heights area / April 2016

I took photos of an Albizia tree (Albizia zygia) in full bloom and wondered if it also had filamentous flowers (they were too far away to see) and in which family it could be found. As the Monkeypod tree’s genus name is Albizia (Albizia saman also listed as Samanea saman), it is more closely related than by family! Thus the Albizia is also a Fabaceae.

Albizia tree canopy / Aiea Heights area / April 2016

Perhaps indicating a source for their common filamentous flowers, the two families, Fabaceae and Myrtaceae are found on the same, though far removed, “branch” at the Tree of Life Project (On this source, they are called Fabales and Myrtales).

See what other fluffy flowers you could see as you “watch out for nature!”

Lei flowers - from neighborhood yards!

After seeing a lei garden at Waimea Falls Park, I started noticing lei flowers along my runs in my neighborhood. In this process, I also gained a new appreciation for the beauty of the simple Plumeria which I think I just took for granted. There are so many varieties and it is such a simple flower with beautiful radial symmetry. Consequently I decided I had to do a blog on lei flowers highlighting flowers from neighborhood yards! 

 Yellow Plumeria / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

There is nothing which epitomizes Hawaii and Aloha more than a lei! They are such an exquisite and personal gift. The lei is given for so many different occasions and is given with all the range of possible positive feelings. 

Beyond their beauty as a gift is the unbelievable talent, patience, and creativity that has gone into the making of the lei. When I see, up close, the many different lei flower growing in yards, I wonder at how anybody has the patience to gather all the flowers, let alone construct the lei! I know for the commercial production of lei, people are harvesting from vast fields or gardens but I know of some people that make complicated lei just from their backyard flowers. 

To me the most amazing flower-to-lei making (of the common variety) paths, are the cigar lei and the rope pikake lei. [What are the flowers used to make the cigar lei? ] 

Cigar flower plant / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Cigar flowers / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Pikake plant with buds / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Look at the flowers to see how hard it must be to work with these small and sparse components. (I do realize my pictured plants have a little less flowers due to our recent dry weather.) 

I cannot even imagine how the small flowers or buds are even made into the beautiful lei! 

Yellow Plumeria / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2015 

Yellow Plumeria / Aiea Heights neighborhood / March 2015 

Crown Flowers / Aiea Heights neighborhood / March 201

The most common homemade lei (or at least from my childhood experiences) are Plumeria and Crown Flowers. Probably the most common Plumeria lei is made from the yellow Plumeria flower. 

[When I began to research to find names of Plumeria, I found some great sources and an interesting story of a man who developed, and sells, many Plumeria varieties. In the process of my research I decided I would simply call the Plumeria by color in fear of incorrectly identifying what I photographed!]

There are so many beautifully colored Plumeria, you would be lucky to get a lei made from some of the less common flowers. I remember red Plumeria from my childhood but rarely see those flowered trees.

White Plumeria / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Tri-colored Plumeria / Aiea Heights neighborhood / March 2016

Tri-colored Plumeria / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

There is also a Plumeria flower that doesn’t lend well to a lei as the petals naturally bend backwards.

White Plumeria (bending petals) / Aiea Heights neighborhood / March 2016

White Dendrobium Orchid / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

The most common commercially made lei, is probably the Orchid lei. The variety and complexity of the many Orchid lei are amazing. Examples of beautiful orchid lei Although my photos may not both show lei Orchids, I wanted to include some “backyard” orchids just to represent this intricate flower.

Antelope Dendrobium / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Some less common lei, but common backyard flowers, are the beautifully subtly fragrant, Puakenikeni, the vined Stephanotis, and the stunning African Lily.  Puakenikeni is a wonderful flower whose colors change as the flower gets older on the tree. You are greatly honored if you receive a Puakenikeni lei.

Puakenikeni / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Puakenikeni / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Stephanotis vine / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

Stephanotis is less commonly used but I did find lei for sale from some sources.

Stephanotis flower / Aiea Heights neighborhood / April 2016

I have not seen the African Lily (Agapanthus) lei sold but I have received some beautiful full lei made from it - in two different ways!

African Lily cut flowers / Aiea Heights neighborhood / May 2006 

An incredible woman I know is a master lei maker. One year, she won an award at a Lei Day lei competition. She showed me a photo of the awe inspiring lei and described to me how she constructed a lei in shades of green and gray using the ʻŌhiʻa trees from her backyard! [I have only ever seen one ʻŌhiʻa tree in my neighborhood and now it is gone.]

ʻŌhiʻa flowers / Hawaii Volcanoes National Park / February 2016

ʻŌhiʻa buds / Hawaii Volcanoes National Park / February 2016

But as a tribute to my friend's lei, I have included some, “in the wild,” Big Island ʻŌhiʻa tree flowers and buds. [To see some beautiful lei and to learn more about this celebration go to the Facebook page for The City and County of Honolulu's Annual Lei Day Celebration!]

As always “watch out for nature,” and see how many lei flower plants you can see or how many flowers you could imagine in a lei!

“I've looked at clouds from both sides now…”

Since I first started taking photographs, I have always photographed magnificent cloud formations. 

Incredible cloud formations / from my porch / September 2015

Awe-inspiring cloud formations / from my porch / May 2013

It seems at the same time I was first conscious of the wonder of clouds, the Judy Collins song (written by Joni Mitchell ) was popular! 

“I've looked at clouds from both sides now,

from up and down, and still somehow

it's cloud illusions I recall.

I really don't know clouds at all.” Lyrics source

I always think of the words from the song when I notice clouds. Actually I really don’t know if the love of the song or the love of clouds came first! [As an aside, the song Both Sides Now is a beautifully poetic song actually with a deeper meaning related to life and love.]

Perhaps since I grew up in two areas that were close to the ocean, I always had views of beautiful and delightful clouds which drew me to look into the skies. 

Above the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi / Summer 1977

Near Papal summer residence / Summer 1977

But even when I went to Europe, after high school, I also saw, and photographed, these awe-inspiring clouds at two different religious sites. To my young, fanciful mind, they seemed like signs from God.

Layers of clouds / from my porch/ April 2016 

Layers of clouds / from an airplane / October 2013

Layers of clouds / from my porch / May 2013

In Hawaii, where I live now, there are many types of clouds visible from day to day. There could be three or more types in the sky at once. This creates fascinating and beautiful displays.

Hawaii is also the place where I have seen clouds move the fastest. At one time I heard that clouds don’t move, it is only the Earth moving. But if you have ever been in Hawaii, you probably would have seen the clouds moving!

 Moving clouds / from my porch / January 2015

After listening to some lectures on weather and teaching Earth Space Science to eight graders for many years, I have learned some important scientific essentials about clouds. 

1) Clouds can be simply recognized as three main types - cumulus, stratus, and cirrus. These types are grouped by shape.  

Cumulus clouds / Aiea area / April 2016

According to NOAA there are ten main types of clouds and some of these are distinguished by the clouds’ location within the sky. NOAA source 

Stratus and cirrus clouds / from my porch/ June 2014

Cirrus clouds / from my porch/ April 2016

Cirrus clouds / from my porch/ April 2016

I see a lot of cirrus clouds here in Hawaii and I always think about how these clouds are made of ice crystals high in the sky!

2) Fog is a very low stratus cloud. (Yes, we have fog in Hawaii!)

Fog (stratus cloud) / Aiea Heights looking toward Diamond Head / November 2015

Cumulus clouds beginning to change / Aiea area / March 2016

3) An individual cloud or cloud formation can change from one type to another. The most common and visible type is when cumulus clouds begin to “tower” becoming cumulonimbus clouds which precede thunderstorms.

Cumulus clouds beginning to change / from my porch / September 2015

Cumulonimbus clouds / from my porch / September 2015

Tornadoes over the ocean / from my porch / May 2011

4) Clouds are wonderful predictors of many types of weather. General information on clouds & weather 











Look at the rain over the city in the first photo and look closely for the double water spouts during that infamous stretch of thunderstorms in May of 2011. Data on the storms

Although I did not plan it, it is funny that my blog from last week, on no rain, progressed to my blog on clouds this week. And it even rained within the week between the blogs!

Please forgive any misidentification of clouds; the many types are actually very complicated to identify. Detailed, kid-friendly source with many cloud types

No matter which type of clouds you are viewing, clouds can provide some of the most picturesque and captivating images of nature. So watch out for your own spectacular cloud views - “from both sides now!” 

A carpet of clouds / from an airplane / October 2013

Puffs of clouds / Kailua Beach / February 2016