Category Archives: Nature

Snapshot: Philippine Tarsier

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

There’s nothing like quirky endemic fauna. Here is a picture I took in Bohol of Philippine Tarsiers (Tarsius syrichta). If you love phylogeny (and who doesn’t?), tarsiers have been found to be more closely related to monkeys and great apes … Continue reading →

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Roadside plants of Mauna Kea

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

I may enjoy hiking, but taking on Mauna Kea is a different beast altogether. Perhaps it’s a challenge for hikers more extreme than I. Besides there is a perfectly good road that takes you up to the native alpine denizens, … Continue reading →

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Random Dogbane photos

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

I have pictures of the native dogbanes (Apocynaceae) that I’d like to share. Most people are familiar with at least one member of the family, albeit non-native: The different Plumerias. Fortunately, they don’t seem to escape from cultivation easily. The … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Ohe Naupaka

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Maybe I’m just fascinated by bird-pollinated plants. Here is another plant that I’ve been interested in seeing up close. Ohe Naupaka (Scaevola glabra) is quite different from the other naupakas native to Hawai’i. Instead of the characteristic half-flower of the … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: Native Tantalus tree snails

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

One nice thing about hiking on cool cloudy days is that it give you a better chance to see native snails. This little guy is an Auricullela minuta/perpusilla cruising around on a Cyrtandra grandiflora. There were even some on invasive … Continue reading →

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Ko’olau Pride

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

I wonder if the Ko’olau mountains are sometimes taken for granted in the public’s eye. Thousands of people commute over and through the Ko’olaus every weekday for work or school. They are the prized “Mauka view” in real estate listings … Continue reading →

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Extinct Megafauna at the Mall

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

There is a passion that I have which predates native Hawaiian plants. It’s one that I haven’t gotten a chance to talk about on this blog yet. Luckily this is Studia Mirabilium, the Study of Marvelous Things. With Pearlridge Mall … Continue reading →

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Big Island Part 2: Giffard’s Hope

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

A few hours before flying back to Honolulu, we decided to check out Volcanoes National Park. With such little time, we could only afford to rush Kipuka Puaulu.

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Big Island Part 1: Darwin’s Leafy Rockstars

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Whew! New apartment, new computer… sometimes life jolts forward in well-demarcated iterations. Heck, it’s even a new day now that there isn’t a new Harry Potter movie to look forward to anymore. In the midst of all this upheaval, I … Continue reading →

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Adventures over the Misty Mountains

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Sebastian Marquez

Now I understand, Frodo. No wonder your Fellowship would rather risk the Mines of Moria than the extreme weather over the Misty Mountains. This prolonged stretch of heavy rain and thunderstorms has curtailed many a hiking excursion, but this weekend … Continue reading →

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