Author Archives: Sebastian Marquez

Snapshot: A surprising predator

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Sebastian Marquez

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 … Continue reading →

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Rebuilding the Rainbow

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Sebastian Marquez

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 … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Antipode Island Parakeets

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Sebastian Marquez

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 … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Japanese Quails

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Sebastian Marquez

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 … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: The Joy of Nomenclature

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Sebastian Marquez

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 … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Pe`ahi Southern Bretheren

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Sebastian Marquez

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 … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Holly the snail

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Sebastian Marquez

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. … Continue reading →

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Stitchbirds of Tiritiri Matangi

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Sebastian Marquez

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 … Continue reading →

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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 for each year to highlight different components of local conservation. 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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