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)

Flowers of Oahu 125. Anil indigo (Indigofera suffruiticosa)

Flowers of Oahu 124. Sago palm (Cyas revoluta)

Male cone.

Sandwich Island Saga 55. Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis)

Flowers of Oahu 123. Pink trumpet tree (Tabebula rosea)

Flowers of Oahu 122. Coatbuttons (Tridax procumbens)

Sandwich Island Saga 54. Chinese red-headed centipede (Scolopendra subspinipes)

A very toxic beast

Sandwich Island Saga 53. Hawaii statehood

The Hawaiian island's flag, incorporates the Union Jack, reflecting their discovery by the UK's Captain Cook and former identity as the 'Sandwich islands'.  Sandwich, the inventor of the ubiquitous snack, was lord of the Admiralty i.e. Cook's boss. For a period after their discovery by the British, the islands were a Kingdom ruled by Polynesians. The island's strategic location meant that, in the 1800s, they became of great interest to many empires including those of the British, the Japanese and the Russians. The commercially dominant American missionaries and sugar barons, however, essentially engineered a take-over, so the islands became a US protectorate. Subsequently, in 1959, Hawaii became the 50th US state (at the same time Alaska was admitted to the union).

Flowers of Oahu 121. Nodding spurge (Euphorbia nutans)

Flowers of Oahu 120. Garden spurge (Euphorbia hirta)

Flowers of Oahu 119. Balloon vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum)

Flowers of Oahu 118. Thailand powderpuff (Combretum constrictum)

Flowers of Oahu 117. Golden shower tree (Cassia fistula)

Flowers of Oahu 114. Easter lily vine (Beaumantia grandiflora)

Flowers of Oahu 116. Wild potato vine (Ipomaea pandurata)

Flowers of Oahu 115. Yunnan bauhina (Phanera yunnanensis)

Flowers of Oahu 113. Bleeding heart vine

Sandwich Island Saga 52. Pacific golden plover or Kolea (Pluvialis fulva)

Sandwich Island Saga 51. Cacti at Kapi'olani Community College