Capturing the Moment

Vestiaria coccinea Scarlet Honeycreeper, "I'iwi"    The I'iwi, or scarlet honeycreeper is one of the  best known species of Hawaiian endemic finch species. Usually it is just seen as a red flash as it disappears into the native forest, however with a little (or a lot) of patience you may be lucky enough to see an I'iwi land and feed on a colorful tree.   The honeycreepers here in Hawaii are all descendants of one finch ancestor. Think about Darwin sailing to the Galapagos islands and finding a dozen or so different finch species there, all filling different niches, eventually leading Darwin to his theory of evolution. If he would have come to the Hawaiian islands instead, Darwin would have found 54 different species of finch, and most likely would have come to his conclusion of evolution years earlier!   Not all species have survived as well as our I'iwi, and even those are regulated to the high elevation patches of native forest. Thanks to the in...

Protea in full bloom Bromeliad Bloom   The last few days have been spent part way up Haleakala Volcano on the island of Maui in an area locals simply refer to as 'upcountry.' The weather ranges from mild to downright cold, and it boast a wide range of flora and fauna to go with it. Lavender Garden, Maui Looking down at the valley   Our first spot to check for unusual plants was the beautiful lavender farms in Kula. Blooming jacaranda trees and rows of different species of lavender showered the garden in shades of purple. And with all the other blooming flowers of proteas, bromeliads, and others there was a rainbow of colors.   We searched high and low for the resident Jackson's chameleons in the area but could not find any. A couple of purple finches watched us hungrily as we enjoyed our lavender tea and scone but we did not share. Juvenile I'iwi I'iwi, not too close   Next we were off to the last remaining stronghold of the honeycree...