Category Archives: Nature

An Afternoon at the National Zoo

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Back in September, I took a trip to see the National Zoo in Washington D.C. It was my first time there, so I was quite excited to see their collection. Naturally coming from O’ahu, I wanted to compare it to … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: O’ahu ‘Elepaio

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

I had mentioned earlier this year how one of my favorite sights on O’ahu trails was seeing O’ahu ‘Elepaio (Chasiempis ibidis) on Wiliwilinui Ridge trail. Well today, I hiked the Wiliwilinui Ridge trail again, and wouldn’t you know it, another … Continue reading →

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Identifying native plant seedlings

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

It is difficult enough to try and identify the hundreds of different plant species native to Hawai’i. Keying out the different characteristics takes a lot of work and patience. Identifying native seedlings adds more challenges for many of them look … Continue reading →

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Birds of Hakalau

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Finally, I was able to cross off something that I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time. Over the weekend, our regular group of Manoa Cliff volunteers was able to help with the Hakalau National Wildlife refuge on the … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #27: Cyanea lanceolata

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea lanceolata Hawaiian Name: Haha Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau mountains) Date photographed: 7/20/2013 Ease of viewing: Difficult *Identification: Form– Stems woody, muricate in juveniles Leaves– elliptic to oblanceolate, blades 15-60 cm long, 5.5-14 cm wide Flower– calyx lobes triangular, 1-3 mm long; … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #26: Cyanea acuminata

Posted on July 1, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Cyanea acuminata Hawaiian Name: Haha Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: O’ahu (Ko’olau mountains) Date photographed: 6/22/2013 Ease of viewing: Difficult *Identification: Form– Shrub, 0.3-2 m tall Leaves– oblanceolate to narrowly obovate or elliptic, blades 11-32 cm long, 3-9 cm wide, base attenuate to … Continue reading →

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Snapshot: More Cyanea crispa flowers

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

We’ve been monitoring the health of a specimen of Cyanea crispa, an awesome lobeliad found in the dark understorey of Ko’olau forests. A few months back, a rotten ‘ohia branch crashed down mere feet away from this plant. It survived … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #25: Delissea kauaiensis

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Delissea kauaiensis (cultivated) Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: Kaua’i Date photographed: 6/26/2013 Ease of viewing: Cultivated *Identification: Form– Treelet or tree (rarely sparingly branched), 1.2-4.5 m tall. Leaves– 5.7-19.0 cm long, 2-11 cm wide, ovate or lanceolate, margin coarsely biserrate or crenate. Flower– … Continue reading →

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Getting to know your Hawaiian Lobeliads #24: Delissea rhytidosperma

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

Delissea rhytidosperma (cultivated) Conservation Status: Endangered Distribution: Kaua’i Date photographed: 1/3/2012 Ease of viewing: Cultivated *Identification: Form– Shrub, 0.5-2.5 m tall. Leaves– 8-19 cm long, 2.0-5.5 cm wide; oblanceolate, elliptic, or narrowly elliptic; margins serrulate or crenulate Flower– calyx lobes 0.5-1.0 … Continue reading →

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‘Aka’aka’awa refugium

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Sebastian Marquez

I was super excited to finally come across this cool native plant. This is the sole native begonia to Hawai’i: ‘Aka’aka’awa (Hillebrandia sandwicensis). I personally like to say it in the same cadence as the name of a certain young … Continue reading →

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