Yellow-shelled Semi-slug
Yellow-shelled Semi-slugs (Parmarion martensi) are large, parasite-spreading garden pests that were accidentally introduced to Hawaii from Southeast Asia. In 1996, they were discovered on Oahu, and in...
View ArticleCuban Slug
Cuban Slugs or Two-striped Slugs (Veronicella cubensis) have become common garden pests in some parts of Hawaii. Cuban Slugs are native to Cuba, but they have spread to other islands in the Caribbean...
View ArticleBlue Moon Over Hawaii
A blue moon is the second full moon in any month. This blue moon was over the Big Island of Hawaii on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2009. The blue moon was shining through a pair of Cook Pines...
View ArticleChiricahua Pine White
Chiricahua Pine White (Neophasia terlooii) butterflies are found in high elevation pine forests in southeastern Arizona and Mexico. To make things confusing, some sources classify these butterflies as...
View ArticleWhat NOT to do in a tsunami
I live in a tsunami evacuation area here in Hawaii, and this weird warning sign below is the actual one for my neighborhood.
View ArticleLong-tailed Blue Butterfly
Long-tailed Blue (Lampides boeticus) butterflies are native to Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. These butterflies were accidentally introduced to Hawaii in the late 1800s, so they have had plenty...
View ArticleGiant Centipede
Although Hawaii does not have snakes, there are slithery, venomous creatures here like the Giant Centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes). Giant Centipedes were accidentally introduced to Hawaii by humans,...
View ArticleArizona Spittlebug
Spittlebugs or Froghoppers are small, plant sap-sucking bugs in the family Cercopidae. Adult Spittlebugs look like Leafhoppers and like them are good jumpers. Spittlebug nymphs (immatures) are...
View ArticleSkeleton Flower
Skeletonized leaves are not terribly rare, but this lace-like skeletonized flower is the first one I've ever seen, and despite its ghostly transparency and veiny, deathlike appearance, it was still...
View ArticleOhia Psyllid Galls
Psyllids or Jumping Plant Lice are small, jumping, winged, highly host-specific plant-feeding bugs in the Superfamily Psylloidea. Not only can Psyllids weaken plants with their feeding and spread plant...
View ArticleCommon Myna
One of the most ubiquitous Hawaiian birds is the Common Myna or Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis). Common Mynas are native to south Asia, and they were brought here to Hawaii in 1865 to control a...
View ArticlePolynesian Rat
Polynesian Rats (Rattus exulans) are common in a variety of habitats at lower elevations here in Hawaii. These rats are native to Southeast Asia, but they have now spread to the islands of the tropical...
View ArticleCreate Psychedelic Desktop Pictures With iTunes
I discovered that it's easy to create unique, psychedelic desktop pictures using screen capture and the Jelly visualizer in iTunes. Below is one of these desktop pictures. Click on the image to see the...
View ArticleLesser Nighthawk
On warm summer evenings in the southwestern deserts, Lesser Nighthawks (Chordeiles acutipennis) can be seen just after sunset darting about hunting for nocturnal insects and gracefully skimming over...
View ArticleColorful Caterpillar of a Lirimiris truncata
The moth Lirimiris truncata is a member of the mostly tropical Prominent Moth Family (Notodontidae), and here in the United States, these moths are found only in the southernmost part of Arizona. I...
View ArticlePainted Damsel
During the warm months of the year in the Southwest, colorful and graceful Painted Damsels (Hesperagrion heterodoxum) can be seen darting about and resting on slender reeds and tall grasses in lush...
View ArticlePearl Crescent
Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos) butterflies are mainly found in the eastern part of North America, but a few of these dainty butterflies can be found as far west as Arizona and the southeastern part...
View ArticleReddish Potato Beetle
Reddish Potato Beetles (Leptinotarsa rubiginosa) are found in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. On a sweltering August day, I observed this one quickly crawling along a shady wash along Arizona's...
View ArticleThomas's Two-striped Grasshopper
Thomas's Two-striped Grasshoppers (Melanoplus thomasi) are colorful grasshoppers found in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. These grasshoppers are typically found in lush riparian areas with...
View ArticleDouble-flowered Stansbury Cliffrose
Flowers with more than the normal number of petals are known as double flowers. Roses and many other types of cultivated flowers are double-flowered, but occasionally double flowers can also occur in...
View Article
