The harvest moon

 Fall is a great time to get out and forage.  The harvest moon found us out harvesting nature's bounty.

Bori went crabbing in the bay, and came home with 12 crabs.

Soon after he left to go crabbing, I went foraging in the woods and came home with 4 king bolete mushrooms and 8 ounces of wild huckleberries.

'Tis the season to forage. Be safe!  Enjoy November.

When life brings you smoke

This week, we went from our usual battle between blue skies and fog to lots of smoke from wildfires east of us.

On Monday evening, we watched the fog head south, and the smoke arrived.  At sunset, clear air was still visible beneath the smoke.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, our air quality was pretty dangerous.  The sky varied in color between yellow, pink, and orange.  There was lots of ash in the air.

By Thursday, the direction of the wind had changed, so air quality improved, but all the smoke that east winds had pushed past us to the west started drifting back over us.

Today the air quality was better, and the sun was occasionally bright enough to cast shadows through the somewhat smoky fog.

Great opportunity to go fishing.  Here is the result.

Beach time

About 2 months ago, we ordered beach bikes.  They finally arrived and were assembled this week.  Yesterday, we made our first ride on the beach, just a short one.  This morning, we got up early and rode at low tide.  The bike tires are giant, over 4 inches wide.  We enjoyed cruising up to Seal Rock and back.  Great way to exercise outside and remain socially distant.

And of course, this is a great time to be out harvesting on or near the beach.  I've been gathering chanterelles and mussels.

Be well.  Stay safe!  Enjoy life.

Ah Springtime

We haven't been home in May for the last 6 years, instead this year we have been enjoying home-grown salad greens and more.


Arugula and elephant garlic scapes (flower buds)!

Salad greens.

Artichokes.

Lavender.

Foxgloves.

And of course, local fish.

We have missed our normal springtime excursion to France, but are staying healthy and happy at home.  Be well, stay safe.

Last dip

This morning, we snorkeled in the warm water for the last time this season.

We saw several interesting things, but rather than feature highlights from today, I've looked back through my photos to share a couple that seemed memorable.

The first is the teardrop butterflyfish (kikakapu).  I don't recall ever seeing one before, but somehow we encountered a pair.  One of many butterflyfish species here with yellow, white, and black markings, these fish were 5 or 6 inches long.

The next is the barred filefish (o'ili).  This sweet looking fish (about 12 inches long) even has pink "lips".

The last is the stocky hawkfish (po'opa'a).  We spent lots of time photographing several species of hawkfish.  They patiently perch on coral and rocks, but as you can see from the eyes of this fish (about 9 inches long), they are always paying attention to what is happening around them.

Spotted box

Today's featured fish is a spotted boxfish (moa).  The female is brown with white spots, but the male is exquisitely ornate with several interesting colors and patterns.  These males were about 4 inches long.

Special bonus for those who have been viewing the blog:  Today we saw one turtle nip at another to chase it away.

A couple of invertebrates

This morning, we glimpsed our only octopus of the season.  It's head and body were sticking out of a crevasse, but the tentacles weren't visible.  It didn't hang around long.

Above the siphon, you can see its eyes

And we found a Hawaiian tiger cowry, nestled in some rocks.  This was about 3 inches long.

Puff, not the dragon

Today, we encountered several spotted puffers (o'opu hue).  Puffers, in the family Tetraodontidae, are able to greatly enlarge their bodies (by drawing in water) when frightened.  Many species in this family produce a powerful neurotoxin: tetrodotoxin.  These fish were 10 to 12 inches long.

Idol worship?

Almost every time we snorkel here, we encounter Moorish idols (kihikihi).  They are really graceful-looking fish, with distinctive markings and a long, filatmentous spine on their dorsal fin.  They have no close relatives, being the only species in the family Zanclidae.  They reach 8 inches in length, and occur in the Indo-Pacific and tropical eastern Pacific Ocean.  They feed on sponges and algae.

A pair of Moorish idols

OK, not always graceful while feeding on algae

Time for a little tang

Not the thin, orange-colored drink of the 1960's, but surgeonfishes with the same name.

One of the most abundant fishes that we encounter each time we get in the water is the yellow tang (lau'ipala).  Often we see large groups grazing on algae.  Their moving yellow swarm brightens any snorkel excursion. This species reaches 8 inches.

Tang grazing

But today, I found one alone, soliciting cleaning from a charming little black fish with a brilliant blue stripe.  I've looked through Shore Fishes of Hawai'i, but couldn't identify it.

The cleaner is just above the dorsal fin of this yellow tang

Another tang that we see is the sailfin tang (maneoneo).  This species is larger, reaching up to 15 inches.

Changing appearance

The appearance of many marine fishes changes dramatically from early juvenile to adult stages.  In the Caribbean, we were quite accustomed to recognizing the early stages and color phases of many species.  Here in Hawaii, we haven't encountered (and/or recognized) many early juveniles.  As a result, finding 2 life stages of one species hasn't been easy.

Today, I'm sharing photos of juvenile and adult yellowtail coris (hinalea 'akilolo).  Both stages of this wrasse species display vivid colors.

Two juveniles:  top one facing right, lower fish facing left

One juvenile, facing to the right

Adult facing left

Adult facing right

The old and the new

Remains of ancient Hawaiians sites are plentiful at the north end of nearby Makole'a Beach.  These include heiau (Hawaiian temples) as well as fish ponds.

The southern end of the beach is bordered by condos.

The beach itself is a mixture of black sand, a little white sand, pebbles, and coral and shell rubble.  It's a nice place to get away from it all.