Snake at zoology department in Kyoto Univ.

My co-researcher, Hiroki, is working at zoology department in Kyoto Univ, which is located 30 minutes bike from my institute. Because unfortunately my institute does not have permission to access many of electric journals and any on-line paper searching system, I need to visit his lab regularly. Zoology lab is very exciting place for me. This place makes me go back to childhood. This snake is called “Yamakagashi” in Japanese. Imagine that I was so scared, because no detoxicant is available for this snake.

Makapuu－

Whale～Whale～Whale～
I went to Makapuu point located 20 minutes drive from Honolulu. Because whales turn back around Hawaii to bear baby in winter season, we can see whales at many places in Hawaiian islands. The western coast of Maui, where I visited in last January, is one of major location to enjoy whale watching in Hawaii. In the Maui, I could watch many blowing on the beach, but could not watch their breaching.
This time, we went there in the morning, following to part-time tour guide, Masaya’s suggestion. But the people who coming back from the top said “no whales”, we were little bit disappointed. But somehow, when we arrived at a lookout on the way, mom&baby humpback whales showed up! What a good timing! Then, when we moved to another point, they showed up again close to us! We are whale magnet! Here is the photo!!

What?
Do you have eyes?
Look carefully! Here!

Magnification of another photo! (Pec slap (pectoral fin slap) or head slap). Believe me!

Umm. I know, I know, you are not convinced. Sorry, shutter releasing speed of my camera is too slow. If you have chance to visit Hawaii in winter, try yourself! It should be wonderful half a day trip!

Mosquito

Sorry for creepy photo.

I usually drink about 10 cups of English tea or herbal tea every day. And I sometimes find a mosquito which drowned in my tea, when I come back to my office. “I feel bad”.
Today, I accidentally witness a mosquito drinking tea from the line of tea bag left in tea cup. It was surprise that they are dinking tea, despite my fresh blood was also there! Hey, you guys like tea rather than my blood? On a web site, I found that mosquitos usually drink sap, juice and honey, and only female mosquitos suck blood just when they are in lay. It was no wonder why I’ve found many mosquitos in my tea cup before. But wait a minutes, I’ve never been bitten by mosquito in my office. That is, just male mosquitos gather in my office? “I feel worse right now”.

Leguminous Trees

　In front of entrance of Botany Department building, there is one tree having clusters of beautiful orange-colored flowers. This tree, “Colville’s Glory”, also belongs to a legume family, as same as previously introduced “Rainbow Shower Tree” (http://blog.so-net.ne.jp/hawaiian_life_e/2005-09-25-3).

As if round buds burst open, flowers came out in order from upper region and rapidly dropped off within a few days. Flower is absolutely fragile. In UH campus, there are many species of leguminous trees. Why? Due to volcanic islands with less nutrition in sediments, did leguminous trees, which usually equip ability of nitrogen fixation (ability to synthesize reactive nitrogen available for plants from inactive atmospheric nitrogen) survive and become predominant species here? Or is there any administrative strategy?
(Click following blue color phrase, to access additional photos.)

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Familiar Tree

We can see this leguminous tree （http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/rainbow_shower_tree.htm）everywhere in Oahu, as roadside trees in town and campus. Its’ bunch of flower is very beautiful, and seem to have different colors such as pink and yellow.

I also like the view of top of this tree, when I look down this tree from the veranda outside my office located at 6th floor. But this tree sometimes makes trouble for me. Because a bunch of flower and leaves defoliated on the roadside absorb much of rainwater, dirty spray sometime hit me, when I ride bicycle. Rainbow seems to be a symbol of Hawaii, we can see this mark in campus as a symbol, for example, the name of shuttle bus and UH athlete team.

(View from the veranda of my office at 6th floor)

Birds

　There are many many birds around apartment, market, campus, all over the area. And they don’t fly away, even if we walk up to them. One of my Japanese co-worker also said that he got interested in the birds, when he had studied at foreign country. I want illustrated book of birds, where their name, behavior and distribution area are depicted. Additionally “taste” too?