Waterlily

Waterlily

To go along with my intense desire to revisit Hawaii, which was especially tugging at my heart when I drove by the line of private jets lined up at Westchester County Airport, I decided to go through some photos from our last visit in February. This waterlily, while small in size, was filling up a little tabletop water garden. All it needed was a couple of miniature Koi to make it perfect. Not sure but think this picture is from The Sacred Garden of Maliko located in Makawao. It is a very cool place with lots of orchids and other plants and two big dogs.

Out behind the garden is a little river and despite the warning signs I went for a little hike amongst the colorful rocks in the stream bed. Hiking in Mountain Rivers can be dangerous but the riverbed was completely dry and the rocks looked interesting. While walking along I found this little blue marble. It looked a lot like the earth to me and I wish that I had used a little more concentration on getting the shot.

Lokelani Rose - Maui's Official Flower

Lokelani Rose
Rosa damascena
(RO-zuh) (dam-ASK-ee-nuh)
Synonyms: Maui Rose, Pink Cottage Rose
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Little did I know that when I clicked his picture I also clicked a little Hawaiian history. I remember being shocked at finding a Rose amongst the lush and astonishing vegetation. It turns out that this rose is the official flower of Maui. According to this website: http://www.aloha-hawaii.com each of the Islands has an official flower, which differs from the State flower (yellow Hibiscus). The Territorial Legislature recognized Maui’s Rose in 1923 although cultivation of this plant goes back to the 1800’s when it was first introduced to the Islands. This rose had a wonderful fragrance that made taking it's picture even more enjoyable.

Maui is a large Island (2nd largest in the chain) with dimensions of 48 miles (76.8km) long and 26 miles (41.6km) wide, totaling 728 square miles. From experience it can take, most of the day to navigate around the entire island. About 120,000 people call Maui home making it the 3rd most populated of the Hawaiian Islands. One of the most notable attractions on the island is the 10,023-foot Haleakala Crater. That elevation makes it the third largest dormant volcano in the world (depending on how you measure it).

The crater is an amazing sight, a natural wonder with a moonscape that leaves an impression. It is also home of one of the rarest plants in the world the Haleakalā silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum) which is a very handsome silver gray kind of succulent looking plant. I have never seen it in flower but hope to one day. The ride up the to the summit is a long one that passes through several climate zones and offers some beautiful hiking spots along the way. If the weather is right you can literally drive through the clouds to get to the top. Be careful because there can be snow and ice, too.

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This next picture is a bonus for Today’s Flower. I am not sure of the identification; maybe someone could help me out, but think it may be a type of Kalanchoe. I shot it with a shallow depth of field after being inspired by a favorite photographer of mine. She will know who it is. This plant was growing in huge patches of one garden that I visited.


For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers .

Pink Wood Sorrel

Pink Wood Sorrel
Oxalis debilis var. corymbosa
(oks-AL-iss)
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This pretty little pink Hawaiian Wildflower was blooming at Iao Valley State Park on Maui. It was growing in the crack in some paving stones and was delight to find blooming. The family Oxalidaceae is a large one (over 900 species) with about 800 species belonging to one of the eight genera in Oxalidaceae, Oxalis.

This flower was about 2 inches tall and required what I call a down and dirty shot of getting on my knees and steadying the camera on the ground. It was shot with my point and shoot camera (Nikon P6000) because that camera provides the best minimum focusing distance of 1.6" or 4cm of any camera/lens that I have. Luckily I didn’t have to embarrass the people with me and lay down completely on the ground to get this picture.

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The Iao Valley State Park is home to much Hawaiian heritage and of course the dramatic Iao Needle (Kuka`emoku), which is only vaguely represented in this picture. Having been to the island of Maui four times now I was determined to see the Needle this last time. I was glad we made the trip. As both the park and surrounding area had great scenery and a good trail system that was easily accessed. The views were pretty amazing and the p&s camera didn’t quite capture them the best but you can get a small idea of what it looked like. The needle itself rises 2,250-feet from the surrounding Pu'u Kukui Crater, which you can see the edge of on the right side of the needle. We were lucky the Needle was out in full view because clouds often obscure it. It was nice and sunny and even a bit hot when we visited. I would recommend the trip up the valley for a short diversion if you have time while visiting Maui.

Red Bottlebrush Tree

Bottlebrush Tree
Callistemon rigidus
(kal-lis-STEE-mon) (RIG-ih-dus)
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There was huge hedge of this plant planted in our yard on the Big Island. That allowed for multiple test shots using the flash on the Coolpix P6000. The first couple of exposures were way too bright and it seemed like a good comprise to set the exposure compensation and the flash compensation to -0.7.

Red Bottlebush is a old favorite of mine and always nice to see. The birds were going nuts in the hedge, which was about 16 feet tall, 12 feet wide and 60 feet long. If you went over to the trees you would soon realize there 20 or 30 birds flitting around the top and sides.

This adaptable Australian native is hardy to USDA Zone 8 and grows into a graceful little tree. We were growing a couple here in Connecticut but they conked out after spending several years in the greenhouse.

Going through the pictures I took in Hawaii there seemed to be a good amount of keepers from the P6000. I didn’t take very much equipment on the trip preferring to keep it simple. The little Nikon did well in almost every situation that it was asked. Since the D700 had either the 60mm or 105mm on it (the only two lenses I had with me) it was nice to be able to get some wider shots with the little camera.

The lens is an ED (extra low dispersion) 28-112mm equivalent. It also has Vibration Reduction (VR), which is Nikon’s anti-shake technology. It does petty well on the wide end as far distortion is concerned. There is a digital zoom option but that is turned off on mine.

Sometimes I just shoot the camera in automatic for snapshots but it does have full manual control. In fact it has many of the features of a Nikon DSLRs. One thing that is nice is on the program wheel there is a savable User1 and 2 settings where you can set up the camera they way you like and return to it. I have learned to shoot with this camera pretty much with one hand. That includes changing the settings. One other thing that is amazing about this camera is the close focusing distance. It can take a decent picture only .8 inches (2 cm) from the subject.

All of the pictures today were shot with the Coolpix camera.

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This old car was spotted on the Big Island. Would you buy some real estate from these people?

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A vista from the well named Tropical Plantation. I really loved the garden at this place.

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This is the famous Duke Kahanamoku Statue in Waikiki Beach. He is considered the father of modern surfing. Here is a link to more information on Duke:
Link

Orange Pig Face

Orange Pig Face
Lampranthus aurantiacus 'Orange Glow'
(lam-PRAN-thus) (aw-ran-ti-AYE-kus)
Synonym: Orange Ice Plant
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This brightly colored flower was spotted at the Kula Botanical Garden on Maui. It was quite striking and you could see them from the other side of the garden. I think they were mismarked at the garden and after some research this is the identification I am going with. The flowers were marked Mesembryanthemum speciosa, which I think maybe a botanical synonym or just and old name. No matter what the name the flowers would brighten up any sunny, dry area. There were some pink and yellow flowered ones too but they were just not as dramatic.

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We have moved over to the Big Island of Hawaii, finally. After many, many years of wanting to come here I have arrived. We have rented a little house next to the Waipio Valley. It is quite spectacular and the house was very reasonable. My sister and nephew are flying into Hilo today to stay with us.

Native Hawaiian White Rosemallow

Native White Rosemallow
Koki'o ke'oke'o
Hibiscus arnottianus
(hi-BIS-kus) (ar-not-ee-AH-nus)

This is considered a rare plant when growing in the wild in Hawaii. It is one of the few plants considered endemic to the islands. This plant was under cultivation on Maui and compared to the other types of Hibiscus you just don’t see it as much. It can get quite large, up to 30 feet tall, but I have only seen it around 10 feet. There are three subspecies of this plant and this particular flower is native to the moist to wet forests of the mountains of Molokai and Oahu.

It flourishes in moist, wet forest conditions at elevations from 390 to 2500 feet. The subspecies immaculatus is extremely rare and grows in a few valleys on Molokai, which we sadly will not be visiting this time. The pronunciation of the Hawaiian name is co key oh kay oh kay oh (Koki'o ke'oke'o).

There is a lot to do today before we leave tonight. The dogs have to get situated and there is still some packing to do.


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Pink Hawaiian Daisy

Pink Hawaiian Daisy


Please visit our Maui album for more Hawaiian flowers and scenery.

Tropical Santa

Daylily
Hemerocallis ‘Try It’
(hem-er-oh-KAL-iss)


Merry Christmas to everyone. This Daylily looked a little bit like the season. It is a red blend that grows to about 26 inches tall and flowers well. It was hybridized in 1972 by the great Daylily breeder Frank Childs. Who among hundreds of other cultivars brought us the beautiful ‘Catherine Woodbery’.

This tropical Santa was spotted in Paia, Maui. He must be hot with that jacket on. I think this is the only Santa I have seen wearing sandals.


Have a good one!

Maui Sunsets

Maui Sunsets
Sky Watch Friday

This Skywatch was taken right off the back deck of the house in Kihei, Hawaii. I had only been in Hawaii a couple of hours when this photo op presented itself.

This next sunset was also taken in Kihei (I think it is pronounced key-hey) but down by the beach. This sunset went on for hours or so it seemed. That is the southeast shore of the island of Lanai in the distance. It was a very mysterious island that always seemed to lurking in the background. This was taken with the D70s and 105mm Nikon lens. One area that the D700 performs better than the D70 is with digital noise. This photo has a lot of noise and I tried running a noise reduction program on it but it didn’t help much. It is not often that I wish I had the D700 but this shot was one of them.


This one won’t make into the travel brochure :lol:


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Black and White Maui Flowers

Black and White Maui Flowers
New Guinea Impatiens
Impatiens x hybrida
(im-PAY-shuns)
Synonyms: Impatiens hawkeri



These flowers were blooming in the up country part of Maui. I was leaning over a little planting bed taking pictures when someone walked up and that they were all native Hawaiian plants. I didn’t say anything because the bed did have some native looking stuff but I knew these flowers were native to South Africa.

It is one of my favorite annuals and we still grow it even though some years it doesn’t look that great. When it is on it is one of the most classy, dainty and dignified annuals in the garden.

When I visit Hawaii I expect to see some different things. It is in the tropics and a long, long way from home (5,000 miles) so things are bound to be a little different.


However I really didn’t get this Buddha with a chain around its neck. It was weird and went right over my head (probably better that way). Here is a regular Buddha that was ‘normal’.

Maui Skywatch

Maui Skywatch

This Skywatch Friday is a little early but Thursday seems to be the best day to post. The skies over Maui were an ever changing tapestry of clouds and colors. Since we spent a lot of time upcountry there were a lot of drop dead gorgeous views of the island and the sea. This first photo is an abstract of some windy Palm Trees.

We have now visited Maui three times and each time I still walk away feeling like there was something new and enchanting each time. It is not unusual for me to have a mystical experience when visiting the island. This time it was this moment.


That is the sun poking through the Iwo Valley. We were walking across a parking lot it really felt like the eye from the Lord Rings was looking out over the valley. Except this was a very benevolent light. Where it got a little weird was looking down everything seemed bathed not in the golden rays of sunset but a very white light. It was about as bright it gets without being harsh. Things seemed to slow down and get quiet when I snapped the picture and after that everything started up again. Later I realized that I become transfixed for several seconds. Unfortunately I didn’t even check the settings and ended up with a picture that doesn’t quite measure up to when the scene played out before us.

This table had a mighty view and it was free, too. This is at the upcountry AKL Lavender Farm . If you want to go on a tour it costs something but we just walked around the garden on our own. It was a very impressive garden and it beat the lavender fields by a mile, in my opinion. That is the island of Lanai in the background.


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Hawaiian Bamboo

Hawaiian Bamboo
Phyllostachys (fy-lo-STAK-iss)


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Wordless Wednesday

Canna Lily and a Few Maui Snapshots

Canna Lily and a Few Maui Snapshots

This orangey-red Canna Lily was blooming in Upcountry Maui. Yesterday was all about trying to get over the trip home and going through the pictures from the trip.

It is again going to be windy and rainy and cold here today. A real typical fall New England day. There is still some autumn color left and hopefully the rain won’t knock it down before I can get out there with the camera.

The next picture is from Lahaina Harbor. Lahaina is a good place to hang out as a tourist as there are plenty of good restaurants, shops and scenery. There are even a couple of high end art galleries.
Click here for a Virtual Tour
(it does take a minute or two to load)


The vintage Mercedes-Benz was spotted in the cowboy town of Makawao. It is an interesting little place with some cafes and galleries. This thing was in showroom condition inside and out.


The last photo is from Ho'okipa Beach, which is famous for all the windsufers that go there. There were a couple of regular surfers there too.

Orchid Tree

Orchid Tree
Bauhinia purpurea
(baw-HIN-ee-uh) (pur-PUR-ee-uh)
Synonyms: Butterfly Tree, Mountain Ebony, Geranium Tree

There are several specimens of this tree growing in the yard next door to the house we are staying at. It sure is a beautiful little tree and there seems to be a little fragrance coming from the flowers. After reading up on it there were several reports of being weak growing and unattractive out of flower. None of that matters right now, it looks beautiful!

Yesterday was the annual Maui Ukulele Festival and it was a lot of fun. I think I got a little too much sun. The music was great and there will probably be a few more pictures of the festival posted here later.

This probably the most famous ukulele player. Herb "Ohta-san" Ohta. He sounded fabulous. For more information.

Bird of Paradise

Bird of Paradise
Strelitzia reginae
(stre-LITZ-ee-uh) (ree-JIN-ay-ee)
Synonym: Crane Flower

Aloha. Yesterday we spent all day in the ‘upcountry’ part of Maui. Lets just say there were flowers everywhere. After attending the Scottish-Hawaiian Festival we drove over to the Winery and the Lavender Farm. The Winery features among other things Pineapple wines. The wines tasted good and the tasting was free. They had a nice garden at the winery also.
Tedeschi Vineyards

The lavender farm had a lot of lavender (go figure) and a wonderful garden. The garden is one of the best I have seen in the Hawaiian Islands. We ended up spending hours lost among the plants and flowers. That is were the Bird of Paradise picture was taken. This other picture is an Aloe bud that I saw on the side of the road as we walked up to the festival. Where we parked had a long Hibiscus hedge and when I opened the car door several branches and flowers poked into the car. My kind of parking spot!
Ali'i Kula Lavender Maui


For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers . The links open at 1400 GMT.