Sandwich Island Saga 69. All Change Here!

There's been a number of articles about coin change machines. They charge both a fee and a percentage of the amount. Only in the US, however. I've seen them offer to change money into cryptocurrency! Take 'em to a bank. They charge nothing!

Flowers of Oahu 157. Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)

They seek him here....

Sandwich Island Saga 68. Striped bark scorpion (Centruroides vittatus)

Flowers of Oahu 156. Chilean jasmine (Mandevilla laxa)

Flowers of Oahu 155. Giant calotrope (Calotropis gigantea)

Flowers of Oahu 154. Asthma plant (Euphorbia hirta)

Flowers of Oahu 153. Flax lily (Dianella ensifolia)

Full of Beans

Beans are an underappreciated food source. The many varieties of legumes are good for the soil and the atmosphere. They fix nitrogen and remove carbon dioxide. Beans are important sources of proteins, roughage and trace elements. Their production takes up much less space than meat-generating cattle and chickens. Beans also need much less water and don't generate problematic waste.They don't contain fats that damage human health. We should encourage folk to see beans as an important park of their diet. They certainly shouldn't be dismissed as second class food ingredients

Sandwich Island Saga 67. Tropical leatherleaf slug (Laevicaulis alte)

A slug adapted to dry conditions by having a leathery dorsal surface.

Sandwich Island Saga 68. Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

These birds are now in feral flocks in Hawaii and London

Sandwich Island Saga 66. Milo (Thespesia populnea)

Flowers of Oahu 152. Pink trumpet vine (Podranea ricasoliana)

Flowers of Oahu 151. Mistletoe (Ipomopsis tenuifolia)

Quite different from European mistletoe!

Flowers of Oahu 150. Yellow allamanda (Allamanda cathartica)

Flowers of Oahu 149. Inkberry (Ilex glabra)

Flowers of Oahu 148. Straggler daisy (Calyptocarpus vialis)

Sandwich Island Saga 65. Java sparrows (Lonchura oryzivora) take breakfast

Sandwich Island Saga 64. Rusty millipede (Trigoniulus corallinus)

Sandwich Island Saga 63.Papaya fruit ripening

Flowers of Oahu 147. Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum)

Sandwich Island Saga 62. Wind turbines and birds

Research in Norway has revealed that painting one blade of a wind turbine black, greatly reduces the number of bird collisions. This seems a simple way of limiting a detrimental effect of these installations.

Flowers of Oahu 146. Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac)

Flowers of Oahu 145. Florist's gloxina (Sinningia speciosa)

Flowers of Oahu 144. Natal plum plant (Carissa macrocarpa)

Flowers of Oahu 143. Branched horsetail (Equisetum ramosissimum)

Sandwich Island Saga 61. Leeward side

The drier side of Oahu means that mechanical watering is needed for most garden plants.

Sandwich Island Saga 60. Making waves

The Hawaiian island's location, in the mid-Pacific, makes them very vulnerable to tsunamis ('harbour waves'). Distant earthquakes (in places like Russia), can trigger these destructive phenomena. Fortunately, these waves can be predicted and folk encouraged to move quickly to higher ground. 

CRISPR and Conservation

CRISPR or 'gene editing' is a powerful tool for subtly changing an organism's DNA. Conservationists are generally focused on saving the natural world. Anthropogenic (human) influences are, however, rapidly changing the planet, often making it difficult for organisms to cope. Some Conservationists are now considering using CRISPR to make organisms more resistant. For example, the Crested anole can be given small DNA tweeks to make it better at climbing. Sea birds could be made resistant to bird 'flu. This would mean, however, a nature dictated by one species.

Sandwich Island Saga 59. Polynesians in Hawaii

Currently, fewer than 22% of folk in the Hawaiian Islands have Polynesian heritage. This includes individuals of mixed race. The figure falls to circa 6% if only folk identifying as 'pure' Hawaiian are included.

Flowers of Oahu 142. Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum)

Flowers of Oahu 141. Cardboard palm (Zamia furfuracea)

Flowers of Oahu 140. Feather windmill grass (Chloris virgata)

Flowers of Oahu 139. Obscure morning glory (Ipomoea obscura)

Flowers of Oahu 138. Golden dew drop (Duranta erecta)

Sandwich Island Saga 58. Crested anole (Anolis cristellust)

Flowers of Oahu 136. Breadfruit or Ulu (Artocarpus atillis)

Flowers of Oahu 135. Purple gromwell (Lithospermum erythrorhizoma)

Flowers of Oahu 134. Kudzu blossom (Pueraria montona)

Flowers of Oahu 133. Adaridia palm (Vetchia merrilli)

Flowers of Oahu 132. Uhaloa (Waltheria indica)

Flowers of Oahu 131. Bush germander (Teucrium fruticans)

Sandwich Island Saga 57. Millipede

In a defensive posture against likely dehydration.

Sandwich Island Saga 56. Dead leaves in the Swimming Pool

The magnitude of the problem is much greater in Hawaii!

Cardiff and Cars

Cardiff has become the first UK city to increase its parking charges for heavy cars (more than 2400 kg when fully-laden). The description particularly applies to so-called 'Sports Utility Vehicles'. SUVs take up more space than traditional cars. They also cause more damage to road surfaces. These status symbols also generate more pollution via exhaust emissions, braking systems and tyres. SUVs are also more likely to kill or maim other road users. It's likely that the Welsh car lobby won't like any curtailing of their 'freedoms' (they were incensed by the 20mph limit in built up areas).

New Homes versus Nature?

It's amazing how frequently politicians opt to abandon environmental protections to boost new home creation. It's also amazing that they have no concept of how much humans rely on the services provided by the natural world. It's not newts and flowers blocking viable home production but generally the profit motives of builders and their clients.

Flowers of Oahu 130. Lilac tasselflower (Emelia sonchifolia)

The plant with the small pink flowers

Flowers of Oahu 129. Dwarf bottlebrush (Callistemom citrinus)

Flowers of Oahu 128. Traveler's palm (Ravenola madagascariensis)

Flowers of Oahu 127. Wild poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora)

Flowers of Oahu 126. Alyce clover (Alysicarpus vaginalis)