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A couple weeks ago, I poured a bucket of Big Island Aloha ‘Āina with a photo diary of the magnificent physical environment of Hawaii’s Big Island observed during my stay there in November-December. All that beauty and wonder couldn’t be contained in one diary, so today I bring you Part 2 featuring the flora and fauna of a few choice Big Island locales.
(Forgive my stinginess with bird photos; I’m saving those for a Dawn Chorus on February 6th!)
A lush effigy of Papahānaumoku, Hawaii’s Earth Mother, greets drivers following this pickup. Enlarge
A hallmark of isolated archipelagos is their astounding biodiversity. Organisms that manage to get to remote islands by wind, water, or wings tend to go into evolutionary overdrive filling unoccupied ecological niches. This holds for the Hawaiian Islands, which host an estimated 14,000 terrestrial, 100 freshwater, and 6,500 marine native taxa. Over 90% of its terrestrial species are endemic. But Hawai’i today has the dubious distinction of being home to nearly 1/3 of all federally-listed threatened and endangered species and almost 1/2 of all listed plants. Its island ecosystems are vulnerable to environmental change from both natural and anthropogenic disturbances, particularly from nonnative, invasive species. I couldn’t bring you this diary without disclosing this ongoing “trouble in paradise.”
Most of my time on the Big Island was spent on the ‘windward’ (east) side of the island. Here, moist tropical air carried by the northeast trade winds reaches the mountains (Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa), then lifts and condenses to produce clouds and rain, especially on the elevated slopes west of Hilo.
A large proportion of the Big Island supports native habitats, but large areas have been converted into anthropogenic or non-native systems (shown in gray).
Terrestrial habitats on the Big Island can be broadly aggregated into three major types based on similar moisture, physiography, and latitude: 1) Tropical Moist Forest, 2) Tropical Dry Forest, and 3) Tropical Grassland & Shrubland. Within each of these habitat types are multiple nested ecological systems. For example, the Tropical Grassland & Shrubland habitat type includes the alpine and subalpine summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. For brevity’s sake, let’s stick with these three terrestrial systems, but let’s also include the coastal waters.
Most of my field excursions were in the Tropical Moist and Tropical Dry forest types of the east side. Both forest types are dominated by the endemic ʻŌhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), a keystone tree species that pioneers fresh lava beds, maintains healthy watersheds, and provides critical habitat for threatened and endangered birds.
Kaulana Manu Nature Trail
This gem of a trail, whose name means “a resting place for birds,” lies just off the Saddle Road (Hwy. 200) at 5,500 ft. elevation. The trail meanders through a 3,000-year old kīpuka (pocket of forest surrounded by younger lava flows) of wet forest that’s a haven for rare endemic flora and fauna.
ʻŌhiʻa and Koa wet forests support many endemic plants, invertebrates, and birds. Enlarge
Since 2015, ‘Ōhi‘a forests have experienced high and rapid mortality events termed Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death caused by an introduced fungal pathogen. ROD has affected 50,000 acres on the Big Island and killed more than 100,000 ‘Ōhi‘a trees. A working group was formed to advance research and technology to detect, diagnose, and mitigate ROD, and just released a 5-yr strategic response plan.
Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death is an evolving threat to the Big Island’s most biologically and culturally significant native tree.
Saving ʻŌhiʻa: Hawaii’s Sacred Tree (3X Emmy Award-winning documentary)
This species of fuzzy gray lichen — Stereocaulon volcani — is an early colonizer of fresh lava. Enlarge
Kūkaenēnē (Coprosma ernodeoides) literally translates to "nēnē dung" referring to the dung-like appearance of the dark fruits, which are eaten (and deposited) by the nēnē. Enlarge
A nēnē — aka Hawaiian Goose — feeding on ripe kūkaenēnē fruits. Enlarge
An ‘ōma‘ō (Hawaiian Thrush) guards its cache of pūkiawe (Styphelia tameiameiae) berries. Enlarge
Koa (Acacia koa) seedling transitioning from its delicate, finely-divided leaves to its distinctive crescent-shape leaves (which are really compressed petioles). Enlarge
Hāhā (Cyanea shipmanii), an endangered species, is a tall thorny palm-like plant in the Campanula family. A now-extinct giant goose ate the berries of the hāhā. Enlarge
`Oha wai (Clermontia peleana) is another endangered member of the Campanula family. The sign reads: “Kia manu (Hawaiian birdcatchers) would use the milky sap as an ingredient to make sticky gum to catch birds.” Enlarge
‘Uluhe — the False Staghorn Fern (Dicranopteris linearis) is a clamoring fern of wet forests. A native damselfly lays its eggs in the matted fronds and the larvae develop in the leaf litter below. Enlarge
The ʻapapane, a native honeycreeper, feeds on ‘ohi‘a flowers, pollinating them in return. Enlarge
Hwy sign along Saddle Road entering the Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve
Puʻu ʻŌʻō Trail
This fabulous hiking trail is just a mile or two west from Kaulana Manu Trail. It snakes through several kīpukas and rugged lava flows originating from Mauna Loa, which looms to the south. The day of my hike was a bad “vog” day — vog being the hazy air pollution caused by Kīlauea volcano emissions (vog = volcano + smog; high in sulfur dioxide). It created poor lighting conditions for photography, but wasn’t a deal breaker. There was a shoe-cleaning station at entrance of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō Trail to help reduce the spread of the fungal pathogen causing Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death.
The first mile is a mosaic of old-growth ‘Ōhi‘a/Koa kīpukas, grasslands, and lava. Enlarge
This impressive stand of mature ‘Ōhi‘a lehua (olive green in background) and Koa (lighter green in foreground) stood 80-100 ft. tall. Most of the native birds were high in the canopy. Enlarge
Koa is a nitrogen-fixing species (Legume Family), contributing 50-75% of leaf litter biomass to wet forest ecosystems. Three of the Big Island’s endangered forest birds (‘akiapola’au, ‘akepa, and Hawaiian ‘alawi) are strongly associated with Koa in old growth forest communities. Enlarge
Sphagnum mosses and lichens thrive in this drippy wet forest. Enlarge
A glimpse of my holy grail bird — an I’iwi — a threatened species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. Enlarge
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
Because of its outstanding natural values, this park is named an International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. It contains some of the most pristine remnants of Tropical Dry Forest in the Hawaiian Island chain. Typical vegetation is an open to dense tree layer dominated by mostly evergreen trees (‘Ōhi‘a and Koa), diverse shrubs, ferns, and lianas.
Park staff work tirelessly to protect the biodiversity of this “island within an island.” This requires relentless battle to control or eliminate invasive plants and animals such as feral pigs, feral cats, mongoose, Norway rats, guava, and kahili ginger. Enlarge
An ‘apapane is as crimson-red as the ‘Ōhi‘a flowers it seeks for nectar. Enlarge
Tropical Grasslands & Shrublands
This habitat type is characterized by a moderate to dense bunchgrass layer (<3 ft. tall) and/or an open to closed shrub layer. Scattered trees may occur but don’t form a layer. Sites are often dry, sloped, and exposed to wind.
Grasses colonize on scant soil formed around lava rock at Pu’uloa Petroglyphs site at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. The petroglyph in the foreground is recognized as a canoe.
Grassland-shrubland on the high saddle between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. Look closely in the center of the photo for a Pueo (Hawaiian Short-eared Owl) hunting over its territory. Enlarge
The Coast
I visited coastal habitats most often during my stay; easy when I was a quick 1-mile bike ride away. The lava cliffs offered wonderful viewing of Green Sea Turtles feeding close to shore.
Green Sea Turtles are a federally threatened species in Hawaii. Adults are strictly herbivores, feeding on seagrasses and algae, which impart a greenish color to their fat (thus, “Green” Sea Turtle). Enlarge
This individual was smaller compared to others, maybe a carapace length of 18-20 inches. Enlarge
A trio of 'A'ama Crabs (Grapsus tenuicrustatus), scuttle around on a wave-splashed lava cliff. Enlarge
Walks and bike rides along coastal roads and paths revealed more beauty and wonder.
Tropical epiphytes — philodendrons, bird’s nest fern — festoon the trunk of a large tree along Government Beach Road.
An Asian Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio xuthus, an introduced species) nectars on a Hibiscus flower. Their host plants are citrus, which are ubiquitous on the Big Island. Enlarge
Yellow-veiled stinkhorn (Phallus multicolor) growing in the needle duff of Ironwood (Casuarina equisetifolia) near Nānāwale Forest Reserve.
Monarchs were likely introduced to the Hawaiian Islands around 1840-1850, not long after the introduction of host plants tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and crown flower (Calotropis gigantea). They breed year-round and do not appear to migrate.
Having gorgeous Shipman Beach all to ourselves was worth the 5-mile roundtrip hike. Cold springs feed the bay, producing currents of cool and warm water. Sea turtles were loafing on the outer rocks. Enlarge
Puako Bay is on the Big Island’s northwest coast. This view is looking northeast to Kohala Volcano, considered extinct, having last erupted 60,000 years ago. Enlarge
A Pacific Golden Plover in nonbreeding plumage combs the Puako Beach tidepools. Enlarge
Mahalo for joining my Big Island Part 2 bucket!
Now it’s your turn to share what’s happening in your ʻāina