The Philippine Jade Vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys) is a well known taxa for tropical plant enthusiasts for its spectacular flowers. And as you can see, the unusual hue stands out. It is thought the coloration is due to it being adapted to be bat-pollinated.
Hawai`i has its own endemic species, S. ruber. Without nectivorous bats, the plants evolved a different pollination syndrome. Most likely bird pollinated. However, this species can be quite rare. I came across one many moons ago on a hike on O`ahu. It was actually one of my most fond memories hiking. You can read about it here
This may look like an ordinary Clermontia kakeana but it is one that I have been keeping an eye on. It is descended from the last known kakeana from Kuli`ou`ou. It’s flowering too so we are doing what we can to keep this particular lineage going. While we hope there are more out there, it still gives me hope that one day we can return this line of plants back to its home valley.
Another of our neat native invertebrates that I was able to see at the restoration site was this gorgeous moth. This is one of the native Eupithecia moths. While pretty and fairly sedentary (It cruised on the sheet for at least an hour) it hides a secret. All but one of the native Eupithecia species have carnivorous caterpillars. Just another radiation that highlights the novel evolutionary adaptions the native biota here in Hawai`i was able to take.
About 2 decades ago, David Liittschwager and Susan Middleton wrote and photographed a book called Remains of a Rainbow which highlighted the amazing but vanishing native biota of the Hawaiian archipelago. I thought the title was quite evocative, conjuring images of what was lost and what is still around. It came to mind when I stumbled upon this rare interaction at the restoration site.
Of all my posts that I’ve done over the years here at Studia Mirabilium, I’ve particularly like re-reading the ones that I’ve categorized under Sharing the Planet. For the decisions and actions that I described in those early posts directly affect me to this day.
16 years ago, I did my first post about the Manoa Cliff restoration project and how we could see a better future for native forests if we did out part. In 2022, I did a couple of posts as a decade review of said restoration project (Part I and II) highlighting the positive changes to the forest and lessons learned. Namely, that us keystone individuals can be stand-ins for keystone species. And then in 2023, I did a post on Drosophila reintroduction, hoping that we can become more hands off as more actual keystone species return to the native forest.
It can be tenuous in the beginning though. For not all introductions have been successful. Even though we have sufficient host plants and habitat, a concerted and sustained effort to release Kamehameha butterfly has not yet lead to an established population. The Drosophila hemipeza re-introduction on the surface seems even more tenuous; not only does the species need fairly rare plants as hosts, but they also need to be at a certain level of decay.
So it came as quite the happy surprise to come across this small group of D. hemipeza on a Clermontia kakeana. It had been a number of months since I last saw a sighting of these rare native fruit flies. Hopefully this is a sign that the population has become established. Now we must continue to do our part to keep them thriving.
Which circles back to my original thoughts for this post. Hawai`i, which has lost so much, can seem like such a lost cause. How much of the rainbow can actually be rebuilt? It’s a questioned that I’ve pondered for almost 2 decades now and I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to use that time to try and get some answers. These posts on this blog have been a record of my attempts. Mark this post as another one, as seeing these flies back in their habitat only strengthens the cause. And as always the work continues.
A ground dwelling parrot from New Zealand? While I wish I had come across kakapo, I’ll take a close encounter with a cheeky little bird from subantarctic Antipode Island.
Little bird is actually a bit of a misnomer, as the Antipode Island Parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor) is actually the largest species of its genus. My mind always defaults to parrots being associated with tropical rainforests, so imagining these guys walking amongst seals and penguins is quite fascinating to me.
Being restricted to a single island can always make a species vulnerable no matter how adaptable. Luckily, a small breeding population is found in captivity on mainland New Zealand where I was able to view this very neat bird at the Otorohanga kiwi house.
Another trip to Japan and more interesting wildlife for me. On the way to a coastal sightseeing area, we came across a small covey of Japanese Quails (Coturnix japonica). They were busy scratching for food whilst we took pictures.
While on some level these posts are “Look at this neat bird I saw!” I will always be fascinated by ground dwelling birds, especially smaller ones. It is certainly shaped by my experiences in Hawaiian forests. Little ground dwelling rails would have been a major component of many Hawaiian ecosystems. Only the 2 rails more closely associated to water (coots, moorhens) survive to the present day. Every single forest species is now extinct. The beloved wet forests that I work in so often are missing this key component, this key interaction that images like this are the closest I can get to them.
As far and different as this video of Japanese quails is, I will always smile and remember what once was a similar interaction in forests and scrublands throughout Hawai`i.
Yes this is a terrible photo I took a few nights ago. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Orsonwelles spiders are a neat group of endemic linyphiids found here in Hawai`i. Their characteristic horizontal spiderwebs are easily to spot in forests. But being nocturnal, I’ve never actually seen the spiders myself.
So when I was invited on an evening invertebrate survey, I jumped at the chance to get a glimpse of one. The big females were quite skittish; they kept scurrying back to their hiding places whenever I shown a light on them. This photo was the best I could do.
At least I could appreciate the size. The hawaiian lineage is technically an example of island gigantism with O. malus being the largest known Linyphiidae. This species on O`ahu, O. ambersonorum has a body roughly the size of a quarter.
With me always enjoying quirky facts and humor, I am forever grateful to Gustavo Hormiga for naming the genus Orsonwelles and setting the precedent that most species epithets honor his works in some way. O. calx for his character Harry Lime in the Third Man, O. polites for Citizen Kane, etc. My secret hope is a new population is discovered and thought to be a new species. One of Orson Welles last roles was as Unicron in the Transformers Movie. Orsonwelles planetophagus anyone? Well, one can dream.
My botanical sensibilities have and probably always will be Hawai`i-centric. Seeing congeners of Hawaiian flora elsewhere in the world has fascinated me. A spectacular cousin of our Pe`ahi (Microsorum spectrum) is found in Australia. While it still has the reticulated pattern, the fronds of this Crocodile fern look quite different from what I am used to.
And if you are every in Sydney, Australia, do check out their Royal Botanical Garden. It really is a lovely place.
So I’ve been watching this one snail over the last few months and it’s been neat to become acquainted with her. So much so much so that I have my own head canon with this particular individual.
This is Holly. She is an Achatinella that really seems to frequent this spot. So much so, that when I first noticed that it seemed to be the same snail, I actually thought it was sick or worse. But it turns out she does do her normal routine and then returns to this same spot on a daily basis. Now I think the snail researchers likely already have evidence of this, but for me, seeing this level of site fidelity is pretty cool.
Why Holly? Snails after all are hermaphroditic. She is just as much a boy as a girl. I joke that this snail has a refined taste and would rather sleep on this boujie fabric than any ole leaf. Thus I named her Holly after Audrey Heburn’s iconic role as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
And as light-hearted as this post is, this is the future that I want for everyone who wants to work at it. Rare with the potential to be commonplace. Native species thriving and easy to come across. A Holly Golightly for everybody. And hopefully, sooner rather than later.
One of the absolute highlights of my trip to New Zealand was spending a day at Tiritiri Matangi. It was suppose to be an overnight stay but the weather wasn’t with us. Still, it was awesome to see an intensive restoration effort with a large compliment of native birds in it.
Here, we were able to see the unique endemic stitchbird. It’s an interesting lineage of nectivores with a long history in New Zealand. The feeders were specifically designed to help this species as another of the islands success, the saddleback is more aggressive and will out compete stitchbirds at feeding sites. They are too big to fit here.
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