Hey Mr. Gecko! This tiny guy was on the ceiling. You would not believe the noise that comes out of these little animals! Aloha!
King Kamehamehas I-V, King Lunalilo, King Kalākaua, and Queen Liliuokalani are the famous Monarchs of Hawaii, but I’m talking about the little, quiet Monarchs I’m used to – the butterflies.
We left Molokai on Wednesday and headed to Lanai to stay with friends at their house for a few days. On the way back from the beach, we took the “Happy Dust” (don’t ask me what that means!) road back to the house that was a bit rugged. Deer ran out in front of us a couple of times, but the road was rough so we were going too slow to hit any, thankfully. It was pretty wild out there, but I was surprised to see one of my favorites plants, Milkweed, growing along the side of the road. Not just any milkweed, but – wait for it – Hairy Balls! 
Lots of it. I found one plant with a caterpillar munching away. I didn’t know Monarch butterflies were on Hawaii! I guess I assumed they were only on the mainland because they have to make the trek to Mexico, but I guess there’s more to these butterflies than I knew. There isn’t a lot of info out there about Hawaiian monarch butterflies, but there is a project underway to figure out what their migration pattern might be. Obviously, they aren’t flying to Mexico, but maybe they are flying interisland. Interesting. Anyway, everyone patiently waited while I jumped out of the truck to get some pictures.
And just a little of the good life!
Molokai living is so different than what I’m used to. Lots of interesting creatures, mostly fun and interesting, except for the occasional centipede. Ugh!
The axis deer run through the property every day. They are small deer, but wow, can they jump! When they manage to get into my mom’s garden, they eat everything in sight. She’s built an elaborate series of fences and bushes, but occasionally the deer find a way to sneak in and undo weeks of work. That’s the downside. The upside is watching them wander around the property and yesterday a doe walked right past the porch with her baby bouncing along. 
Gee, why do you think this is called a rick-rack spider? These spiders are pretty and their webbing is elaborate. This guy is in my mom’s garden and measure about two inches, front to back. 
These shells weren’t collected at the beach, they are garden snails! Yikes!!! My mom has a pretty good handle on these in her garden, but it only takes one to find its way in to decimate the greens.
I’ve been coming to Molokai for years and this is the first picture I’ve been able to capture a picture of a red cardinal. This bird seems so out of place to me. I picture them on a pine tree in snow, not at the beach in a kiawe tree! Beautiful, isn’t it?
The aloes are blooming all over the beach now and I got this picture of a carpenter bee looking for nectar. When these guys are getting nectar from flowers, they come to my mom’s house and eat the wood siding. Love those wings! 
The gardening is challenging enough here on the dry, west end of Molokai, so the fauna just adds an extra layer of challenge, but it wouldn’t be gardening if there weren’t problems to be solved, right?
In honor of Presidents’ Day tomorrow, which is directed at Washington’s birthday, a tribute to Thomas Jefferson, renown for being 3rd President of the United States among his many accomplishments.
We gardeners know that Mr. Jefferson was a gardener who was experimental and a bit ahead of his time. He kept a diary of his gardening when he was at Monticello, chronicling what he planted, how it grew, the soil he grew in, and the weather conditions. Maybe he just had the money to back up his interests which made people pay attention – who knows? Anyway, he devoted himself to growing crops with a goal of self-sufficiency and had the means to reach out to his contemporaries who had the same interests.
Jefferson had a plant named after him, Jeffersonia. The plant was first described by Linnaeus in 1753, who assigned it to the Podophyllum genus. Almost forty years later, Jefferson’s friend, Benjamin Smith Barton, professor of botany and natural history at the University of Pennsylvania sought to have it renamed as a distinct genus, and so it was named Jeffersonia. Soon thereafter, the plant became featured in the gardens of Philadelphia, and later was introduced into English gardens by Scottish plant collector John Lyon.
Jeffersonia is an endangered species in many states; care should be taken to not disturb it in its native habitat. Here’s the wikipedia page: Jeffersonia
In his autobiography Jefferson wrote, “the great service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture.” I concur…..
Have a nice Presidents’ Day!
This tree is down by the little beach we go to on Molokai. Its name is Clusia rosea, or more commonly, Clusia, Autograph Tree, or Pitch Apple
It’s a cool looking tree that is very salt, wind, and drought tolerant, perfect for right next to the beach. Known as an Autograph tree because people can scratch their name onto the surface of a leaf and the mark will stay for other visitors to see.
![[img src=http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/thumbs/thumbs_dscn9412.jpg]10](http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/dscn9412.jpg){kind=link}
![[img src=http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/thumbs/thumbs_dscn9413.jpg]00](http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/dscn9413.jpg){kind=link}
![[img src=http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/thumbs/thumbs_dscn9414.jpg]00](http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/dscn9414.jpg){kind=link}
![[img src=http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/thumbs/thumbs_dscn9416.jpg]00](http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/dscn9416.jpg){kind=link}
![[img src=http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/thumbs/thumbs_dscn9417.jpg]00](http://3000Tomatoes.com/wp-content/flagallery/hawaiian-milkweed/dscn9417.jpg){kind=link}