Still eager to identify some of the trees we saw on our hike the day before, Jen and I set out to learn about the local flora in a more formal setting.
We saw many typical local plants, treasured by the ancient Hawaiians for their utility.
Taro, one of the Hawaiians' main food crops:
Hala leaves:
Every part of the hala tree was usable. The ancient Hawaiians made hats, mats and roofs from the leaves, leis and paintbrushes from the fruit, and jugs and fence posts from the wood itself.
Papaya:
And some beautiful displays of my new Hawaiian favorite, ohia lehua:
These valleys behind Honolulu, where the Arboretum is found, are in the rainy mauka part of the island. Many times we've noticed clouds hovering here, even on days when the beaches stay warm and bright.
True, all that rain supports an amazing array of plant life, and provides fresh drinking water for the many neighborhoods and communities on Oahu.
But it's also something of a curse.
We've noticed there are remarkably few bugs in coastal Honolulu. In fact, most of the time we leave our windows open, to take advantage of the cool trade winds that sweep through Waikiki, and drive the heat out of the condo. And we don't use screens at all. There's really no need for them, because there simply are no bugs.
But back in Manoa valley, in the shady recesses of Lyon Arboretum, we entered the mosquitoes den. They were everywhere, and they were hungry.
I'm sorry to say that Burt's Bees didn't make a dent in the battle against these pesky critters. In fact, after I applied their popular all natural bug repellent, they seemed to find me even more attractive. This was definitely a job for DEET- these bugs weren't fooling around.
Not to be deterred, we pressed on. The wet mud made the small paths pretty slippery. And since we felt at some risk of getting hopelessly lost, we stuck to the main trail as we wandered through the grounds.
Soon we entered an overgrown, steamy tropical world with layer upon layer of green. The trees seemed to get bigger, and the vines more tangled. Trunks became entwined, and trees grew out of other trees, as they clawed their way toward the dim sun overhead.
We soon stopped recognizing any of the plants around us, and the identifying plaques petered out. We found ourselves stumbling in awe through the greenery, our eyes wide and jaws dropped open in amazement.
I have to admit I left Lyon Arboretum even more stumped than when I came in. What in the world ARE all these plants?
A lollipop plant:
Some kind of heliconia:
A flower from an Angel's Trumpet Tree:
A spindly red ginger:
1 comment:
Thanks, the flowers were really gorgeous there. Must be all that rain!!
Jen was the smart one and did buy the bug repellent from the soap factory. I was skeptical after Burt's Bees- but if they test theirs in Manoa Valley, it really must work!
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