Author Archives: Sebastian Marquez

The Year of the Community Forest

Posted on November 30, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

DLNR here in Hawai`i has for the last few years given a theme to each year to highlight different components of conservation here. A few years back was about Achatinella tree snails, last year was about native forest birds. This … Continue reading →

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15 years of Studia Mirabilium

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

Every so often I like to do some self reflection and look back on this blog. In some ways it is strange that when I wrote my Why studia mirabilium post, I mentioned that I was tired of the negativity … Continue reading →

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Fundraising for the native forest

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

As much as blogging is a selfish exercise, fundraising is even more so. I figure I would do it this one time as we are trying to do a short documentary about the native forest restoration work we’ve been doing … Continue reading →

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Glimmers of a forest bird future

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

O`ahu is depauperate when it comes to native forest birds. Only 3 species `Elepaio (Chasiempis ibidis), `Apapane (Himetone sanguinea) and `Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis flava) are known with any confidence on the island. What is hopeful is that all 3 species are … Continue reading →

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Small Victories, Large Gains

Posted on August 31, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

For all my consternation on where to take this blog into the future, what doesn’t change is the restoration work itself. While I am pondering the social media landscape, native plants are trying their darndest to survive. Case in point … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #45 Brighamia rockii

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

Brighamia rockii

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Snapshot: Manu-O-Ku

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

Growing up in Chicago, seabirds were not something that I normally encountered. Here in Hawai`i, we are blessed with a number of species that regularly visit our shores. And this species in particular we on O`ahu are quite proud of. … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: small efforts

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

DLNR has dedicated this year as the year of the community forest. While we have plans to highlight the work we’ve done over the last 20 years, at the end of the day a lot of it boils down to … Continue reading →

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Searching for Gympie Gympie Trees

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

Plant blindness can be quite the challenge for the botanical community. Getting people to care can be a difficult thing: plants for a lot of folks tend to disappear into the background whilst people focus on something else. Some plants … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: My first Megapode

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

Megapodes are a cool radiation of galliformes centered around Australia and spreading up to the Philippines in the west and into parts of Polynesia in the east. Unfortunately many insular Pacific forms went extinct. So while during super touristy things … Continue reading →

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