Two juvenile eagle rays swim together in Keauhou Bay. Juveniles often swim in two so that if a predator attacks one the other can escape.

Designers and lighting companies have been busy coming up with new ways to hold a lightbulb and project light, and winter is a great time to explore their latest solutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly made us aware of how our individual lives and even society can be altered in a very short time by disease organisms. Our forests and landscapes can change rapidly as well. A very warm, wet period or dry one can drastically alter the species makeup of a forest. For example, our Ohia forests are suffering not only from rapid ohia death, but from other diseases as well.

A boat heads south as the sun sets as seen from Old Kona Airport Park in Kailua-Kona.

Thinking of St. Patrick’s Day brought to mind this warm and welcoming Irish Stew. There are many versions of Irish Stew. A traditional stew calls for mutton, a sheep that is over a year old. This is a quick version uses leg of lamb for a tasty and tender dish. It’s a one-pot meal that’s ready in 15 minutes.

Tamarind remains a bit of a mystery to most cooks in the United States, but its sweet and sour pulp is appreciated by cooks from its native range in tropical Africa to India, Mexico and beyond. The pods resemble a long, bulbous peanut, but the flavor evokes some combination of lemons, dates and apricots — which makes it a powerhouse ingredient packed with flavor.

Sweet, tender scallops need very little cooking. In fact, to remain delicate and flavorful, they should be cooked only a few minutes over high heat in a skillet large enough to hold them in one layer without touching. The result will be a crusty coating while the inside remains juicy.

The first gardenia of the year fills the air with sweet fragrance.

A gecko enjoys a bit of the delicious mango sauce at Shaka Tacoz in Captain Cook.

The shell of a mulberry drupe snail shows its namesake color.

These days we look for miracles wherever we can find them. Maybe you want to plant one.

A double rainbow is seen over Kona.

A “Buddha Belly” sugar cane is seen at the Amy B.H. Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden in Captain Cook.

Kyiv, bracing for a potentially catastrophic Russian attack, is the spiritual heart of Ukraine.

The sun highlights a puka in the clouds.