Moss and more moss by Siwa

Here are some closeups from yesterday's hike. One of my favorite parts of hiking is when we take breaks in the riverbeds. I like to wander off a little ways from our group to look for bugs, plants and things. Yesterday I found a click beetle, lots of different mosses, an egg in a bird's nest, striped fungus, layered rocks and so much more.

My first memory of click beetles was my brother bringing me one when we were little. My brother put the beetle on the ground upside-down. The beetle waited a moment before raising its head, then jerking it back down with a sharp clicking noise. The motion had flipped the beetle back onto its legs. That click beetle was small and brown. The one I found yesterday was a lot bigger and more colorful. I had been taking pictures when I heard a buzzing noise and saw the beetle fly onto my shirt. He allowed me to pull him off and take a few pictures.

Fungus growing on a rotting log.

Clidemia, also known as Koster's curse, is an invasive weed that has spread rapidly throughout much of Hawaii's forests.

A river stone with vervain. 

Moss.

More moss, this picture shows a part of the moss that resembles tiny rosebuds.

While we were walking through a grove of mountain apple trees I noticed a tiny bird's nest in one of the trees overhanging the path. It was made of moss, grass and a white glue the birds produce.  It was about the size of half an orange and belonged to a Japanese White Eye. These tiny birds are an olive green color, a little smaller than a sparrow, with a white ring around their eyes. The egg was the size of a grape.