water

Dew is always magical, but rarely do you get to see a more exquisite example of those tiny water drops performing their balancing act.  These Parnassia palustris were on discovered while hiking on Kurokake Mt., in Japan's Iwate pref.  Thanks go to Mariko for helping source the identity.

When rains create a flooded valley floor, one is reminded that rice cultivation was once practiced here.  I do not know how they ensured a steady source of water to maintain the paddies.  Unless the weather patterns and stream diversions were significantly different from today, it must have been difficult to endure the droughts that inevitably occur.

A vibrant symbol of the living structure that supports our oceans, this baby Pocillopora meandrina coral head made me smile when I swam by it.  It stood in sharp contrast to the drab reef around it.  Please educate yourself on the issues affecting this critical link in the health of the earth.  Here are a few resources:
http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/library/coral_liverock.htm
http://www.nature.org/joinanddonate/rescuereef/explore/facts.html
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/hfs/Corals.htm

Zebrasoma flavescens, one of the most ubiquitous inhabitants of our Hawaiian reefs, do a great deal to brighten up the underwater scene.  Yellow Tang spread their little spots of sunshine throughout reefs from Hawaii to Japan.  These four seemed to be performing a dance for me, hence the title.