I was asked to do a demo on how to make a Hawaiian style Christmas wreath at the Kino’ole Farmers Market. The demo was yesterday morning and in spite of lots of rain, the market was lively! We had several people sit through the whole thing (2 hours!) and some came and went and at least 4 people tried their hand at adding a bit to the wreath.
To make a Hawaiian style wreath, you use native plant materials for which you need to go foraging up to the Volcanoes National Park area or on the lower slopes of Mauna Kea on Saddle Road (this is on the island of Hawai’i also known as the Big Island). Before you even start, the first thing you need to do to be able to pick in those areas is to get a special permit, which is free, from the Department of Land and Natural Resources. This permit should be on your car dash clearly visible in case a ranger or other official should stop by to see what you’re up to.
The second thing you do is look around for a good spot in which to forage or go with someone who is already familiar with several choice picking spots. As with most people who make this style wreath, I have my own particular favorite place to pick.
The third thing you need is to know what plant material to look for and what dries well so that the wreath will still look beautiful after its no longer fresh.
If you know all of that already, then you’re ready to start. Continue reading ‘Sonia Tastes Hawaii: Hawaiian Style Christmas Wreath Demo’
Archive for the ‘Native Hawaiian Plants’ Category
Page 2 of 2
Wetland Restoration Approved Despite Contention
It started simply enough: transform an overgrown wetland into a habitat for endangered water birds. But after three years of seeking approval from federal, state and county officials – and enduring objections from the community over his plans – Kip Dunbar is anxious to begin work.Dunbar plans to restore about an acre of deteriorated wetland on the east end, skimming the water’s surface down 18 inches to remove invasive vegetation and building a fence around the perimeter to keep out predators.
“Slowly but surely this wetland has narrowed and narrowed,” Dunbar said. “Once you take the vegetation out of there and it stops transpiring all the water, it’ll be a wetland again.”
Last week, Dunbar received permission from the Molokai Planning Commission (MoPC) to begin work, the last in a series of regulatory hurtles. The project has already been signed off on by the Army Corp of Engineers, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the state Historic Preservation Committee.
Arleone Dibben-Young, a local water bird researcher, created a similar wetland on her property near Kawela 10 years ago, which is now home to Bristle-thighed curlews and endangered Hawaiian Stilts and Coots. Dibben-Young testified to MoPC in support of Dunbar’s project. Continue reading ‘Wetland Restoration Approved Despite Contention’
DLNR ARBOR DAY PLANT SALE FRIDAY FEATURES NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPECIES
LIHU‘E — Celebrate Arbor Day in Hawai‘i and “go green” by purchasing and planting a native plant from the Arbor Day plant sale on Friday, November 5, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Pua Loke nursery located at 4398-D Pua Loke St. in Lihu‘e.Local floral enthusiasts and rare plant collectors look forward to the annual event, especially since DOFAW began offering federally listed threatened and endangered plants, native to Hawai‘i and used for the State’s conservation programs.
This year’s sale will feature a diverse array of Kaua‘i’s botanical gems, such as Ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei), Aloalo (Hibiscus clayi), Hau kuahiwi (Hibiscadelphus distans), Uhiuhi (Caesalpinia kavaiensis), and Loulu (Pritchardia remota). All of these species are endemic to Hawai‘i, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world, and will bear a numbered tag for authenticity. Continue reading ‘DLNR ARBOR DAY PLANT SALE FRIDAY FEATURES NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE SPECIES’
Native plant trip planned for Saturday
ULUPALAKUA – The next native plant restoration trip to Auwahi on the southern flank of Haleakala will be on Saturday.Volunteers need to RSVP as soon as possible to reserve a seat.
Hiking boots that cover the ankle are required, along with layered clothing, rain gear, two liters of water, lunch, sunscreen and a hat.
Gear including backpacks and boots should be cleaned to prevent the spread of weeds in the restoration site.
High-clearance four-wheeled drive vehicles are also needed.
For information or to reserve a spot, send e-mail to volunteer@lhwrp.org, or call 573-8989.
‘Kanaloa Kahoolawe’
A new era in isle’s revolution
By KEKOA ENOMOTO
KAHOOLAWE – A bomb crater nearly as large as a football field is like an open wound on the southern coast of the former Target Island.
The so-called Sailor’s Hat – a gaping hole 75 yards in diameter and filled with brackish water 15 feet deep – anchors southwestern Kahoolawe island. The site was a peninsula, possibly like Keanae Point or Puu Olai.
The Atomic Energy Commission used the site to test explode two 500-ton piles of TNT, according to Kaho’olawe Island Reserve Commission Executive Director Michael Naho’opi’i. Each pile measured some 80 feet wide by 20 feet high of explosives. The commission wanted to find out the blasts’ shock impact on U.S. Navy ships moored offshore, Naho’opi’i said.
“Once you contaminate an area with ordnance, you can never unring that bell,” Naho’opi’i said Thursday near the site. A part-Hawaiian graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Naho’opi’i was a senior project engineer during the $400 million decade long cleanup of ordnance on the island. Continue reading ‘‘Kanaloa Kahoolawe’’
Grants available for Native Hawaiian cultural programs
The Hawaii Tourism Authority is accepting funding applications for 2011 Native Hawaiian cultural and natural resources programs.The agency announced it is seeking applications for projects that honor and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture and community, and that strengthen the relationship between the visitor industry and the Hawaiian community.
It also is seeking projects that manage, improve and protect Hawaii’s natural environment and areas frequented by visitors.
Request for proposal packets are now available at HTA’s office at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, on the agency’s website or by contacting HTA by phone.
The deadline to apply for either program is Nov. 4.
Grants available for Native Hawaiian cultural programs – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com
Wasps Wage War on Behalf of Wiliwili Trees
News from the USDA Agricultural Research ServiceA black, two-millimeter-long wasp from East Africa is helping wage war on one of its own kind—the Erythrina gall wasp, an invasive species that’s decimated Hawaii’s endemic wiliwili (Erythrina sandwicensis) and introduced coral bean trees (Erythrina spp.).
Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) officials “recruited” the beneficial wasp, Eurytoma erythrinae, and first released it in November 2008 after evaluating its host specificity as a biocontrol agent. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist Michael Gates’ scientific description and naming of the species, together with a collaborator, helped HDOA obtain the necessary federal approvals to make the release.
How the gall wasp arrived in Hawaii in April 2005 is unknown, but it quickly found suitable hosts on which to feed and reproduce, first on Oahu and then other Hawaiian islands Continue reading ‘Wasps Wage War on Behalf of Wiliwili Trees’
Scientists Release First Cultivated ‘Ōhelo Berry for Hawaii
By Stephanie YaoThe first cultivar of ‘ōhelo berry, a popular native Hawaiian fruit, has been released by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their university and industry cooperators.
‘Ōhelo (Vaccinium reticulatum Smith) is a small, native Hawaiian shrub in the cranberry family, commonly found at high elevations on the islands of Maui and Hawaii. As people scour the landscape to harvest this delectable berry for use in jam, jelly and pie filling, they unfortunately disrupt the fragile habitats where this plant grows.
In an effort to reduce damage to the environment and meet consumer demands, horticulturist Francis T.P. Zee, with the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) in Hilo, Hawaii, is evaluating ‘ōhelo for small farm production and ornamental use. Zee collaborated with fellow ARS scientists and cooperators at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Big Island Candies and the Big Island Association of Nurserymen. ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of USDA.
Zee and his team selected the offspring of seed-grown plants to create the new cultivar “Kilauea” for berry production. Continue reading ‘Scientists Release First Cultivated ‘Ōhelo Berry for Hawaii’
Hawaii hearing on Army endangered species plans
The state plans to hold a public hearing this week on the Army’s plans for managing endangered plant and animal species in the Koolau and Waianae mountains.The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is holding the meeting to gather public input before its board considers the Army’s application to manage lands zoned for conservation.
The hearing is scheduled to be held on Wednesday in Honolulu at the Board of Land and Natural Resources conference room at 1151 Punchbowl Street.
A copy of the Army’s Conservation District Use Application may be found on the department’s website at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr
Hawaii hearing on Army endangered species plans – Hawaii News – Staradvertiser.com
Grown on Maui Bus Tour, other Hawaii news
Mainland images of the fall harvest may not apply to Hawaii, where the growing season is year-round. But after the islands’ busier summer than 2009′s and before a Christmas break that’s expected to be even more robust, travelers may find that quieter autumn is the peak period to reap the benefits of new and renewed activities and accommodations.For activities, the menu of agritourism options – an appetizing way to support farmers and rural landscapes – keeps expanding on the four major islands:
Maui: The new Grown on Maui Bus Tour lives up to its name by including a locally sourced continental breakfast at the Whole Foods Market in Kahului, a company tour and pineapple tasting at the Haliimaile Pineapple Co., a gourmet lunch and tour at upcountry Oo Farm (owned by PacificO and IO restaurants) and a walking tour and dessert at Alii Kula Lavender Farm, before returning to Whole Foods. The weekly Tuesday tour, open to ages 12 and older, costs $130 plus tax. (808) 879-2828, www.akinatours.com. Continue reading ‘Grown on Maui Bus Tour, other Hawaii news’
Hawaii plant thought to be extinct found in Kohala
HONOLULU — A Hawaiian plant species thought to be extinct has been found on the Big Island.The Nature Conservancy and Parker Ranch said Wednesday staff discovered the plant earlier this summer in an upland rainforest on the slopes of Kohala volcano.
They were surveying a rare tree snail population on the ranch when they stumbled upon a plant with greenish white flowers and dark green leaves. They couldn’t identify it so they sent photographs to Thomas Lammers, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh expert.
He identified the plant as Clermontia peleana singuliflora, a species last seen on the Big Island in 1909 and last collected in East Maui in 1920.
More than 30 of the plants have since been found, and the conservancy has collected seeds to propagate the species.
The Associated Press: Hawaii plant thought to be extinct found in Kohala
Taro expert to appear at workshop
KAHULUI – Maui Nui Botanical Gardens will host a kalo (taro) workshop Sept. 4 to 6 led by Hawaiian cultural practitioner and mahi’ai (farmer) Jerry Konanui as part of its new education program, “Ulu Ka Hoi” (to grow interest).
This three-day event will educate local farmers and practitioners on the varieties of kalo available, techniques to identify these varieties, proper cultivation methods and cultural applications. Participants also will have the opportunity to learn innovative wood- and stone-sculpting methods using modern equipment.
Space is limited and daily fees apply. Call 249-2798 to reserve a place. Continue reading ‘Taro expert to appear at workshop’
Native Hawaiian Plant Sale
Community Events Calendar – Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor’s Information – The Maui News
Lethal limbs | Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Maui Tree Services
Fast-growing, fragile trees are looming threat
By Colin M. Stewart
Tribune-Herald Staff WriterIt’s only a matter of time, says a group of Hawaiian Beaches residents, before someone is seriously injured, or worse.
"People are going to die soon," agreed University of Hawaii at Hilo associate professor of biology Becky Ostertag.
What has the Puna residents and experts so concerned is the albizia tree.
A relative newcomer to Hawaii, albizia were introduced here in 1917 by botanist Joseph Rock as an ornamental tree and for reforestation purposes.
With its tall white trunk and wide-spreading, umbrella-like canopy capable of shading up to a half acre, the albizia tree makes for a pleasing contrast to the black outcroppings of lava rock and scrubby underbrush so prevalent in the Puna area.
It is one of the fastest growing trees in the world, according to albizia expert Flint Hughes of the U.S. Forest Service.
The tree can grow to 20 feet tall in its first year, 45 feet in its third, and 60 feet by the end of its 10th year.
It is albizia’s ability to grow so quickly, however, that makes it a threat to those under its expansive network of branches, said Hughes.
Native Hawaiian Plant Horticulture Website
Nursery Owners and other plant professionals,
We will be on Maui on May 27th and may be able to visit some of you. Hopefully you can come to our evening meeting on May 27th at 5pm at Maui Community College at Laulima, room 107 where we can explain this program in more detail.
We are supported by a federal grant from the US Department of Agriculture, so we are able to provide the online database on the horticultural of native plants, and web space for any business growing native plants without cost.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Priscilla S. Millen
Professor of Botany, Leeward Community College
*Phone: 808-455-0285
*Fax: 808-455-0509,
e-mail: pmillen@hawaii.edu
Dept. of Math and Sciences: 96-045 Ala Ike, Pearl City, Hawaii 96782
Priscilla Millen, Botany professor at Leeward Community College who has a grant from USDA to increase training and businesses in plant related fields. Her focus is to increase the numbers of native plant used in Hawai?i?s landscape. It provides environmental advantages and helps with education and conservation.
Shari Tamashiro of Kapi?olani Community College is the technological professional developing the website and database to go online.
David Eickhoff is a native plant specialist inputting the data and has a long experience with growing natives.
Any one growing natives on the islands will be able to put their business information and native plant inventory into the database. The website will be: nativeplants.hawaii.edu and will be active on August 1st. The site is designed to be user friendly.
A large part of the database will include native plant horticultural information, designed in view for usage by landscape architects, landscape contractors and installers. It should be useful for restoration work and homeowner?s application.
