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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 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.
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.
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.
Saving ʻŌhiʻa: Hawaii’s Sacred Tree (3X Emmy Award-winning documentary)
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.
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.
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.
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.
Walks and bike rides along coastal roads and paths revealed more beauty and wonder.
Mahalo for joining my Big Island Part 2 bucket!
Now it’s your turn to share what’s happening in your ʻāina