It's been a strange and wonderful transition from spring to summer this year, with recent nights dipping down into the 40s again. It almost feels like fall. Good for sleeping but not so good for the tomatoes, eggplant and cucumbers trying to make headway in the garden. This constitutes glorious hiking weather, the air so impossibly fresh that you are instantly energized. The woods are cool and damp, carpeted with moss and overrun with ferns so green they are almost neon. Pileated woodpeckers and yellow-bellied sapsuckers hammer away in the treetops; baby bunnies are living under our honeysuckle bushes; tiny freckled fawns gambol in the tall grass; great blue herons careen over the marsh; and at night the barred owl calls out "who-cooks-for-you? who-cooks-for-you-now?" It's pretty magical to be a creature among so many other creatures. I identified the one above as a Rosy Maple Moth (Dryocampa rubicunda). Its fuzzy orange body and lavender-tipped wings give it sort of a bridge-&-tunnel look, don't you think?
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Hawaii's Big Island was full of impressively lush vistas like this one. For the first part of our stay, we were on a wonderful private ranch at the island's northern tip, near Hawi. Horses, chickens and a sweet dog roamed the property where our group of six inhabited two separate bungalows. Ours had a hot tub and a resident spider (see below). There were avocado, mango, macadamia, guava and papaya trees and an organic vegetable garden. From our high bed we could look out over blooming violet jacarandas and golden-green meadows to the ocean in the distance. It was heavenly.
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photos by george billard

Can you actually believe that this is a fairly common and harmless spider? My jaw dropped when I saw this babe casually gliding across the side of the house. It's a marbled orb weaver (Araneus marmoreus). I wonder if her appearance had anything to do with today's ladybug invasion. I looked out the window at this gorgeous sunny morning and saw clouds of winged creatures filling the air—a truly extraordinary sight. Next thing I know, they are bombarding the house, finding any crack and cranny to slip inside. This is an annual occurrence, and I've certainly noticed them in the house during other fall seasons, but I've never been present to actually witness the onslaught. They're looking for winter shelter. Poor things, the inn is full. If they didn't smell so funky, they might be welcome. I've heard their particular aroma described as a cross between burning rubber and burning hair but I think it's more like ear wax (TMI?). Apparently, they are attracted to light surfaces but our house is green, so WTF? Fly away home, ladies—or risk getting munched by Mlle. Spider... 
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