Cold, windswept cloud forests aren’t what one typically first thinks of when associating environments to O’ahu. Overlooked or not, they are critical habitats for many unique plants and animals found only here in Hawai’i. This is many of the native biota’s Masada: a great montane stronghold. The analogy is also appropriate because even here, in the most remotest of habitats, the natives are under siege by invaders. Will the defenses hold?
Today’s short article is about some of the remnant native flora on the Ewa Plains. Most of these nature excursions take me to remote places on O’ahu. So it was a little disconcerting to look for rare natives while dodging traffic, eating lunch on a crowded beach or talking over loud music. And through it all these plants are surviving.
This stretch of amazing weather has been quite agonizing. Work and prior engagements have kept me from the mountains. In the meantime, I did stumble across an interesting link I’d like to share:
In the footsteps of Joseph Rock – Here in Hawai’i, Joseph Rock is considered one of the Paragons of Hawaiian Botany. Much of his work is still important today. Elsewhere in the world, his exploits in southwest China are more famous. This blog digs deeper into that part of his life.
While my core philosophy is that we all share this planet, it does have its drawbacks. Namely, some people don’t share very well or care to. Here, someone broke a rare Clermontia kakeana in half. This is a good example why we’re working on making sure that the populations are vigorous enough. The extinction factor should be something other than just some young George Washington wannabe. The best part is this particular oha wai doesn’t want to be that cherry tree either; it is starting to grow new shoots. Resiliency, thy name is Clermontia!
Haha lua & Hala pepe
The Pihea and Alakai Swamp trails are some of the most popular trails in Koke’e. Birders of all persuasions find these trails to be almost guaranteed sightings of native forests birds as well as the chance to see something rare. For plant enthusiasts too, these trails showcase the beauty of Kaua’i wetter forests. But the trails that overlook the Waimea canyon harbor some interesting denizens as well. They offer a glimpse into the mesic forest…
So we meet again, Lindsay
After 2 years, I finally returned to Koke’e on Kaua’i. Did I learn anything in that intervening time… or did I just regress? Either way, hiking through that native forest is still such a blissful experience…
One of the neatest looking Kolea (Myrsine ssp.) is this one. Myrsine linearifolia is found in a small portion of Koke’e on Kaua’i. Luckily, it is fairly easy to see. Look for it along the road near Pu’u O Kila.
Now here is a difficult plant for me to ID. This is one of the beak-rush (Rhynchospora ssp.) found here in Hawaii. Florally, it is fairly distinctive, but strictly vegetatively… to my unknowning eyes, it looks an awful lot like Carex wahunesis. It was still an awesome plant to come across in the field.
It’s been a little while since I’ve been able to make any meaningful updates to Studia Mirabilium. Work has been very busy and very exciting. Blogging on a whole can be quite selfish and this short post is even more so. For I wanted to take a quick break from my work schedule and reflect on how much things have changed since I started blogging…
For the second time in a month, I was back visiting Big Island. The weather over the memorial day weekend was perfect; I couldn’t have asked for better conditions to enjoy our native biota like this Hibiscadelphus giffardianus again.
Studia Mirabilium 