Author Archives: Sebastian Marquez

Snapshot: Route 66

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Travel is one of those things with pretty distinct paradigm shifts to me. Once change happens, it’s hard to remember what it was like before the change. It took me 5 hours to fly 2,000 some odd miles. Yet it … Continue reading →

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More Banza Katydids

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

One of our volunteers, Alex, came across this female Banza katydid today. I don’t have the eye for it, last time I saw one was years back when I last posted about our native katydids. I had forgotten how large … Continue reading →

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The surviving flora of Crouching Lion

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

I had family in town and took them to a short hike with expansive views over Kahana Bay. While very popular with out of town guests, I was pleasantly surprised to come across some native plants persisting at low elevation … Continue reading →

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The time wanderers

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Right off the bat I’d just like to say the world is a better place with rhinos in it. Rhinos for me are also interesting because they are vestiges of a bygone era; when I look at one, I can’t … Continue reading →

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Our wild urban future

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

What if I told you that an endangered Hawaiian bird can be easily seen from a station of the new rail system? One doesn’t usually associate rare fauna with urban areas, but that is exactly the case by the Kalauao … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #40 Cyanea shipmanii

Posted on June 7, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea shipmanii *From Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai’i

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Legend of the Fall (Ashfall Fossil Beds)

Posted on June 2, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Lagerstatten present an interesting, if morbid, paradox. The very processes which leads to exquisite fossil preservation for appreciation and study, while quite fortuitous from our point of view, are also horrible, no good, very bad ones for the object of … Continue reading →

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An American Robin and a lament

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

Growing up in Chicago, American Robins (Turdus migratorius) were a favorite of mine. How could they not be? Robins are adaptable, resilient, and plentiful. As a little kid, they were an easy bird to observe even in the very urban … Continue reading →

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Let’s talk about: Olonā

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

In the 13 years that I’ve run Studia Mirabilium, I may have mentioned olonā (Touchardia latifolia) in passing a few times. Well today, let’s give olonā its due. Olonā, long revered for the high quality cordage it provides, may prove … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Old Hawaiian Camping Trip

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Sebastian Marquez

We were given these old photos by a family acquaintance. I remember rummaging through some old photos albums when I saw one that said Koke`e. I can’t remember if the dates were closer to 1910 or the 1920’s. Some of … Continue reading →

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