#onassignment

This is the last of my native flora photos from last year’s  Hawaii assignment. Fittingly this is from the final shoot and perhaps strangely my favorite of all. This is Nototrichium sandwicense, an endemic species in the Amaranthfamily known in the indigenous language as Kului. The flowers’ white-light color is rather tame, but they remain attractive for the fluffy character and produce a pleasing cyan to green tone when exposed to my ultraviolet light. The leaves may be my absolute favorite thing about this plant though. Especially when grown in bright and dry conditions, the leaves become heavily pubescent, tiny hairs creating a translucent silvery sheen overlaying the green leaf surface. They prefer to grown in dry conditions and are naturally present on many of the islands, growing in various well-drained soils at low to moderate altitudes. If I could choose just one of the plants I photographed to grow at home in California, it would be this species!

For some bonus fun, check out the ant in the final picture. She and her associates were wandering all over the flowers, creating quite a lot of frustration for me. In the end  there was one frame where one ant was both somewhat in focus and stationary enough to get a good look at how the body fluoresces under 365nm UV.

This is my last native Hawaiian flower to share. I’ll be taking a short break from posting UVIVF images, but I’ll return with some invasive species I photographed the first night there and probably some infrared images down the line as well!

Thanks to Hana Hou! magazine (in particular Matt Mallams!) for bringing me in on this assignment and both the Lyon Arboretum and Hui Ku Maoli Ola for all the help in providing subjects and sparing the time to talk about things. I hope I’ll have another opportunity in the future to come visit!

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, speaks with members of the Canadian Technology Accelerator at Kimpton Marlowe Hotel on May 17, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Newton’s annual Kids Fun Fest at City Hall on May 13, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

The Westford Kiwanis 50th anniversary Apple Blossom Parade on Main Street on May 12, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Color Run at the Kennedy Elementary School on April 29, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Scenes from the Becca Pizzi 5K at Belmont High School on April 29, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Actor Bradley Whitford during an interview with his brother, journalist David Whitford, during the “Conversations” series at Arlington High School on April 11, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

The rain and cold didn’t stop Arlington and Lexington from celebrating Patriots’ Day. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau] 

Foxtrot and Hip Hop dance classes at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Belmont on April 19, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

A quiet sunny morning in the Cambridge Cemetery on April 20, 2018. There are only 400 new plots left in the 66 acre municipal cemetery. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Scenes from the Chelmsford Senior Center prom on April 22, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Mini Red Sox fans celebration Opening Day at Elmwood Christian Preschool on Apr. 5, 2018.

Needham residents gather donations for Cradles to Crayons at Needham High School on April 7, 2018.

(L-R) Danielle Kearney, Kelly Fitzpatrick and Christine Champion, of Waltham, pose for a portrait before training for the Boston Marathon on April 7, 2018.

Students from Gann Academy walked out of school to protest gun violence on a Thursday after a snow day prevented them from participating in the national walkouts that happened on Wednesday. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Peter Simonini practices at the Sullivan School of Irish Dance in Newton. Ten-year-old Simonini is headed to Scotland this March to compete in the World Championships of Irish Dance. 

Scenes from the All State Championships at the Reggie Lewis Center on Feb. 24, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Somerville High School students walked out of school this morning to participate in a 17-minute silent protest organized by “Students Against Gun Violence” to honor the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting. The students also marched to Trum field to write letters to their representatives and to register to vote. - On assignment for the Somerville Journal - 

Scenes from the WinterFest Celebration of Dance and Chowderfest in Chelmsford on Feb. 03, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]

Scenes from the Annual Winter Carnival at NARA Park in Acton on Feb. 03, 2018. [Wicked Local Photo/Ruby Wallau]