Since the beginning of this year, strange things have been happening in nature. From birds falling off the sky to dolphins found dead on Peruvian beaches.
Photo by Susan Scott, 2012 Hawaii News Now
In Hawaii this week, strange purple little creatures have been found washed ashore along sandy beaches. They’ve been getting reports of the pea-sized crabs from Kahala to Ala Moana.
Beach goers describe it like little purple berries that look good enough to eat. Of the thousands of little purple crabs washed up in the surf, many of them are dead. Some that are alive are being kept to study at Waikiki Aquarium.
Norton Chan, a biologist at Waikiki Aquarium think they are some type of crabs still in the larvae stage. Scientist still aren’t sure what type of crab since they’ve never seen anything like it. Waikiki Aquarium officials are saving some and hoping to keep them alive long enough to see how they grow. Maybe they will grow to be big purple crabs.
And exactly what caused them to wash ashore is a mystery. Dr. Andrew Rossiter, director of thinks it “Could be storms although we haven’t had any, it could be a flux of warm or cold water coming in but I don’t have any signs of that either. It could be some kind of pollution, but if it was pollution it would have affected other species as well. So we really don’t know,”
Another possible reason, a biologist with the Department of Land and Natural Resources speculates that when the seas get rough, air bubbles can get caught in the crab’s carapace (shell) and they cannot dive so they get caught in the tides and wash up on shore.
Poor little baby crabs, makes me wonder if this has anything to do with last year’s nuclear disaster in Japan. Whatever the reason, it goes to show we have to take good care of our ocean. There are many neat life forms and gems that we have yet to come across. So let’s hope we can keep it clean and pristine.
I finally got my hands on a dragonfruit plant. The best part is I didn’t have to travel to any dragonfruit convention to find them.
I’m hoping mine will survive the northern California winter. We do have nights where temperatures get to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. At least I’ve had good luck with my other succulents such as Aloe Vera and Queen of the Nights.
It was really easy to plant the cuttings. All I did was stick them in good soil and topped it off with lawn clippings (my version of mulch). Some people mentioned growing dragonfruit from the seeds. I think that would take too long to grow, if at all. But next time around I’ll try to save the seeds and grow them. And they sure have lots of seeds!
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Orchids have always been one of those enchanting flowers. Of the 35,000 or more species of this family, the vanilla orchid is the only orchid that produces “edible” fruit. Vanilla planifolia is the main species harvested, but other species with less vanillin content include Vanilla tahitiensis and Vanilla pompona. Vanilla planifolia orchid is commonly found in the food and cosmetic industry.
Vanilla grows as a climbing vine, usually in existing 
trees. It’s native to Mexico, in the states of Vera Cruz and Oaxaca. But it is now cultivated around the world, with Madagascar being the largest producer of vanilla.
Vanilla flowers bloom only once and only for a few hours. And once it’s been pollinated, the vanilla bean can take from six months to one year to mature.
There are many ways to harvest the vanilla beans, it is a very labor intensive process. But it’s important that the beans are completely dried and cured. During this process, the sweet and spicy aroma of Vanilla comes out. Dried and cured vanilla beans can be kept for 10 years or more.
If you are lucky enough to live in a hot and humid location, propagation of vanilla plants may be possible. A section of the plant (cutting) is removed from the vine with six or more leaf nodes, along with a root opposite each leaf. The two lower leaves are removed, and this area is buried in loose soil at the base of a support. The remaining upper roots will cling to the support.
This neat photo is from Huahua Farm in Hawaii. The Vanilla plant looks so healthy with creamy greenish-yellow flowers. If anyone is interested, in May Huahua Farm will be offering two vanilla beans for sale at $8.50, includes postage.
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The latest edition to my botanical soap collection is made with coconut milk and hibiscus flower petals. It is made with all vegetable oil, even with a touch of sesame oil too!
Since I’ve learn so much about the benefits of coconut for our skin, I’ve been wanting to add this to my soap. The coconut milk are usually used for cooking and baking.
I let all my soaps cure for about three to four weeks before using it. I have been using this for about a week and really love it. It’s a very luxurious and creamy soap.
Instead of water, I replaced it with coconut milk. Both the addition of coconut oil and coconut milk is very moisturizing. Coconut is full of antioxidant, and the oil protects and nourishes the skin.
I also added ground hibiscus. This hibiscus flower is normally used in making tea. Hibiscus flower is full of Vitamin C and would also be great for your skin.
I thought the bright color of the petals would seep into the soap, but it didn’t. The best part is the ground hibiscus petals added a nice exfoliation of the skin too.
Ingredients: Coconut milk, Safflower oil, Canola oil, Palm oil, Coconut oil, Sesame oil, and Hibiscus petals.
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Natal plum is a thorny evergreen shrub or small tree. They are usually grown for landscaping in warmer parts of the U.S. If you snap a branch or stem, you’ll find milky white sap (it is perfectly safe to touch). The best part of this shrub is the lovely fragrant white star shaped flower and fruit.
Other varieties have scientific names including Carissa Grandilflora, Carissa Macrocarpa, and Carissa Carandas. The shrub originates from South Africa.
Photo by Marco Shmidt of Wikimedia Common.
I have seen these grown as landscaping shrubs widely in the coastal part of southern California. The flowers have a fragrant similar to gardenia and jasmine. Some even think it smells like orange blossoms.
These are also found grown as landscaping plants in Disneyland (LA) and popular in Hawaii too.
Photo 1: Carissa Macrocarpa, image source.
Photo 2: Carissa Carandas (fruit), image source.
Photo 3: Image Source.
The fruits are the size of plums and are bright red. The fruits are edible and usually made into a sauce that taste similar to sweet cranberries.
I wish I knew the fruits were edible while I was living in southern California. I would have gathered a basketful and learn to make sauce or jams with them.
The shrub (Carissa Carandas) is very popular in Indian cooking. The green fruits are pickled, the ripen fruits are used to make chutney, tarts, and pudding. The roots are used in Ayurvedic medicine and useful in treatment of stomach disorders along with other ailments.
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It’s cold and foggy out here in northern California. I thought these pictures would warm me up. They are some of my favorite pictures of luxurious villas in sunny, warm and green Maui. They are luxuriously priced from $1,000 to $6,000 per night. So enjoy!
Hale Pikake
Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii
Turtle Beach Villa. Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
Reflections. Napili, Maui, Hawaii
All photos taken from Luxury Retreats International, based in the UK. You can view more pictures from their gallery from their website. The company has over 1,600 villas in 70+ destinations, from the beaches of Barbados to the rolling hills of Tuscany.
