Flora & Fauna

(April 1998) Yes, the Latin word for the banana is Musa. Coincidence? The banana belongs to the plants of the ancients and has been given God-like powers in many diverse...

(Spring/Summer 1999) Hundreds of thousands of years ago, 15 ancestral species from 11 families of birds came to rest on newly formed lava islands thrusting from the sea more than 2,000...

(Spring/Summer 2002) A well-conditioned, mature donkey can carry about a 125 pound load at the speed of a human’s stroll all day long. The donkeys were a key component in developing...

(February 1998)  The tall coconut tree sways in the Hawaiian trades. Many visitors to the islands expect to see these graceful palms or look forward to an authentic pina colada....

(September 1997) Ten years ago, on the Puna side of this island, I spent my first few nights in Hawaii sleepless and stunned. It wasn't just the sudden transition from...

(Fall/Winter 1995-1996) When I first saw a hala tree, I was reminded of the ancient trees in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I believe they were called ents. They were...

(Winter 1999) Legend? Actually, the shy Hawaiian Goose (Branta Sandvicensis), unique to the islands, seems to have missed out on the great mythologies of the Hawaiian people, although it is mentioned...

(March 1998) The cry of the owl has followed me from country to country, continent to continent. The silent scream that once penetrated the snow-burdened hills and frozen glens in...

(Spring/Summer 2000) Already rare when Wilson visited Hawaii, the Kona grosbeak was found at elevations of about 5,000 feet in the Kona district amid the koa forest. 

 (August 1997) They lived through the age of the dinosaurs. They survived the earth's age of ice. Sea turtles, the true ancients of the world, have been swimming the oceans for...

 (November 1997) The roots of taro run deeper in the Hawaiian culture than they sink into the muddy patches of Waipi'o Valley or even into the ruins of ancient dry land...

 (Fall/Winter 1995-1996 ) Wakea, Father Heaven, could no longer resist his desire for his youngest daughter. Careful to not arouse the jealousy of his wife, Mother Earth, he arranged nights of...

(Winter 1999) Its beauty stands out in any garden, grove, or yard. Easily 40-60 feet tall, with branches spanning a similar-size diagonally, the sensual, dark-green lobed leaves of the breadfruit tree...

(Spring/Summer 1996) The word for wealth and prosperity in the Hawaiian language is 'wai-wai', 'water-water' or 'abundant water'. Young Pele might well reside over the fire of the volcano; with...