Expecting calm weather, I went up to Volcano Village to do the muddy slog up to Kulani and continue my exploration of the Western end of Pu'u Maka'ala NAR. The weather was mostly overcast with only about an hour of sprinkles in the afternoon. I walked the entire fenceline perimiter of the Na Lua Mahoe and Lava Flow units, and followed other fencelines that separate Pu'u Maka'ala NAR from the 'Ola'a unit of Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. When I came to "the point of no return" at the southeast corner of the Lava Flow unit with three hours of daylight left I decided I could make the whole circuit if I quit counting birds and taking photos of ferns. I hit the afterburners and completed the return half (7km?) of the trip just in time, as the dusk faded away. 5 minutes later and I would have had to break out my lights.
I did bird counts for the first half of the trip. Nothing unusual to report. Oodles of 'apapane. 'Apapane are odd creatures. They're the most shy of Hawai'i's forest birds, and immediately flee the area if they notice you watching them. (The human-adapted 'apapane at the volcano park are an exception) If you stand still enough they'll stop foraging and really study you intensely from a distance that most other native birds would completely ignore you at.
Most of the forest was full of very common plants. I'm sure the pigs tore this remote area up horribly for decades before the first restoration attempts began. (A fact that was noted in the 1940's-50's when Vance came up to the area and later founded Kulani) I'm not sure how long the area has been pig-free, but probably not more than 5 years. I was mostly taking photos of ferns at first. When I got to the Lava Flow unit the vegetation got more varied and I started to see a few giant clermontia trees. One was among the largest in trunk diameter that I've ever seen. In another decade or two the forest may be full of them again. I also found a trio of trematolobelia on the ground, with a wonderful red tinge that I don't see in koli'i elsewhere.
The highlight of the day, besides accomplishing the big circuit, was finding the perfect clermontia flower:
I did bird counts for the first half of the trip. Nothing unusual to report. Oodles of 'apapane. 'Apapane are odd creatures. They're the most shy of Hawai'i's forest birds, and immediately flee the area if they notice you watching them. (The human-adapted 'apapane at the volcano park are an exception) If you stand still enough they'll stop foraging and really study you intensely from a distance that most other native birds would completely ignore you at.
Most of the forest was full of very common plants. I'm sure the pigs tore this remote area up horribly for decades before the first restoration attempts began. (A fact that was noted in the 1940's-50's when Vance came up to the area and later founded Kulani) I'm not sure how long the area has been pig-free, but probably not more than 5 years. I was mostly taking photos of ferns at first. When I got to the Lava Flow unit the vegetation got more varied and I started to see a few giant clermontia trees. One was among the largest in trunk diameter that I've ever seen. In another decade or two the forest may be full of them again. I also found a trio of trematolobelia on the ground, with a wonderful red tinge that I don't see in koli'i elsewhere.
The highlight of the day, besides accomplishing the big circuit, was finding the perfect clermontia flower:
