Nov. 13, 2010 Planting Trip
Posted on June 11, 2011 at 1:45 PM
The volunteers and crew put about 1,200 plants in their native home. A beautiful sunny day with a spectacular view across the Pacific.
We planted quite a few seedlings of the rare tree 'aiea, host plant for the incredibly rare Blackburn's hawkmoth, found only in the Hawaiian Islands. As caterpillers, they need to eat `aiea leaves to survive. This insect is listed as an Endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the same status as grizzlies and rare honeycreepers. As adults, these black and orange moths with a 4-inch wingspan are important pollinators for Hawaiian trees like halapepe. An important part of restoration is rebuilding function to jump-start Hawaiian ecosystems that were once thought to be lost.
