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Articles for November, 2007

Mu’o — The Growing Buds of Ohia Lehua

Posted: November 30, 2007

The growing buds of ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), known as mu’o in Hawaiian, show considerable variation in color, form and texture.  They can range in color from green to yellow to red and can be covered in fine fuzzy hairs.

Native Gardenia Tree at Kanepuu Preserve

Posted: November 27, 2007

The native gardenia, known as na’u or nanu in Hawaiian, once lived in the dry forests of all the major Hawaiian islands.  Unfortunately, this endemic tree now is nearly extinct with only a handful of these endangered trees surviving in the wild today.  Far more specimens live in botanic gardens than in the wild.
 

Kukui Leis at 2007 May Day Contest

Posted: November 23, 2007

I was thrilled when Brian Choy called me to photograph the kukui leis he and his brother Reynold Choy were going to enter in the 2007 May Day Lei Contest sponsored by the City & County of Honolulu since 1928.  The theme lei for the 2007 contest was “Na Lei Kukui” — which is the lei for the island […]

Waterfalls of Waipio Valley

Posted: November 29, 2007

Waipio Valley is the largest valley on the Hamakua Coast on the island of Hawaii.  The Kohala Mountains — into which Waipio Valley is carved — receive over 300 inches of rainfall a year with numerous waterfalls that plunge off its cliffs over a thousand feet into Waipio Valley. 

Terraces of Limahuli Valley

Posted: November 16, 2007

On the north shore of Kauai in Haena, the ancient Hawaiians built an amazing series of terraced loi kalo (taro patches) within the confines of Limahuli Valley.  The rock walls and terraces had fallen into disrepair for many years, but have since been restored and are now fully functional.  Water flows from one level of […]

Liko Lehua — The Young Leaves of Ohia Lehua

Posted: November 12, 2007

The young leaves of ohia lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), known as liko lehua in Hawaiian, form little rosettes that come in a variety of colors and textures.  Leaves grow in pairs opposite each another with successive pairs at right angles to each other along the stem.  Liko come in a spectrum of color from purple, maroon, […]

Stunted Ohia Trees in the Bogs of Hawaii

Posted: November 9, 2007

Ohia lehua assumes the form of a stunted shrub in the wet montane bogs of the Hawaiian Islands.  The high mountains of Molokai, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii receive more than 300 inches of rain a year.  In areas where rain water cannot drain faster than it accumulates on the surface, the earth becomes waterlogged […]

Waterfalls on the Road to Hana

Posted: November 6, 2007

One of my favorite things to do on Maui is to visit the waterfalls on the way to Hana.  Some of these magnificent waterfalls are right off the road.  Others involve hiking downstream to see how the stream cascades and plunges from one level of pools to another on its way to the sea. 

Ohia in the Dry Forests of Puu Waawaa

Posted: November 2, 2007

Puu Waawaa is a large cinder cone on the flanks of Hualalai in Kona that has some of the last remaining native dry forests in Hawaii.  Pockets of lama, ohia, kolea, kauila, and iliahi trees dot the landscape along side introduced silk oak trees, jacaranda trees, and pasture grasses.