The One That Got Away?
Ulua are no easy catch. The powerful, deep-sea-dwelling predators can weigh over 100 pounds. And they’re smart.
We Give You the Raspberry
‘Akala, the native Hawaiian raspberry, is one of the native plants bringing life back to Poli Poli forest after last January’s devastating fire.
Hala: The Hawaiian Aphrodisiac
When foraging for plants to kindle romance, the love-struck Hawaiian had no further to look than the distinctive Hala tree.
The Hawaiian Sphinx’s Riddle
Hawaiian Sphinx Moth is endangered and rare with many bright colors and can found in the winter months in a nocturnal environment.
A Whale of a Love Song
Every winter, Hawaii entertains around 4,000 North Pacific humpback whales returning from their summer vacations in Alaska.
Hurricane Season
Official hurricane season in Hawaii runs from June to November and August is by far the biggest month for these events.
Hawaiian Winter
Hawaiians honor Lono, god of agriculture, during a four-month-long celebration called Makahiki.
Hawaiian Sandalwood: Aboreal Gold
The story of Hawaiian sandalwood is a sad one, but it's not over yet.
Hāhā: The Velvet Touch
Some of Maui’s strangest flowers bloom in winter—though witnessing these living curiosities requires some effort and a sharp eye.
Rainy Season
Ho‘oilo starts in November and marks the rainy season in Hawaii. Micro climates and rain fall varies with wind, geography and elevation.
Spring Cleaning
‘Awapuhi is one of the twenty-seven species known as “canoe plants”—plants the first Hawaiians carried with them and relied on when colonizing these Islands.
The Voice of the Ulili
The “wandering tattler spends the summer nesting near streams in the Alaskan tundra. When the weather starts to cool, the birds fly south to Hawai‘i.
Wetland Chic: Ae‘o Stilts
Summer is the season to look for an exceptionally photogenic shorebird: ae‘o, the Hawaiian black-necked stilt.
Bats on the Wing
When the Polynesians first made landfall in Hawaii, their closest relative here was a bat.
Grow Your Own Fireworks
Celebrate the Fourth of July with a different kind of firecracker, the papala. This endemic Hawaiian plant is a Roman candle made by nature.
Delicate Beauties
Strung together, the tissue-thin flowers of the ‘ilima bush make an exquisite lei.
The Urchin and the Hala Tree
Learn about hala trees (Pandanus tectorius), which are among Hawai‘i’s most recognizable and versatile native plants.
Winter Surf
For Islanders, nothing signals winter quite like the smell of deep ocean swells and the pounding thud of giant surf.
Haleakalā Silverswords
Summer is the prime time to observe an only-on-Maui botanical phenomenon: the blooming of the Haleakalā silverswords.
Hula Tree
Among the most charismatic species in the Hawaiian dry-land forest, six different species of hala pepe trees exist — each one endemic to its own Hawaiian island.
Maui Events & News
Imua Family Services’ Will Smith Discovery Garden
A World of Pure Imagination
Story by Savy Janssen
Photographs by Jason Moore
Sunlight filtered through the outstretched arms of the 120-year-old monkey pod trees, and...