Submitted by Jasmine Jade Newton on the 2022 winter session program in Hawaii sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences…
The third week, we traveled to Hilo. Hilo was a more secluded area, it drastically differed from the city feel of Waikiki. For class, we visited a volcanic park. We saw steam coming from the ground! Although we did not get to see much activity regarding active lava, it was really interesting to see the different formations of lava rocks. We were actually able to walk through lava tubes (as seen in the photo)! As we hiked around the area, we were versed on the ecological repercussions that the volcanic eruptions had and how nature was able to “rebuild” itself subsequent to its destruction. Different plants were able to come back faster than others, this was also somewhat dependent on when/what animals were able to inhabit the area after the damage.
I thought the beautiful story about the legend of the Ohia Tree and the Lehua Blossom our professor told us was really captivating. A synopsis of the story is that Pele (volcano goddess) met a warrior named Ohia and she asked him to marry her. However, Ohia had already pledged his love to someone else – Lehua. Pele was angry when she got turned down, resulting in Pele turning Ohia into a twisted tree. Lehua was deeply upset so the gods took pity on he and they decided to turn Lehua into a flower that grows on the Ohia Tree so they could be together forever. This tree is important because it was one of the first plants to colonize new lava flows following an eruption! This also had an effect on what species came back to the area, since the Lehua flowers provide nectar for certain birds. Hilo was overall a very engaging and cool experience!