Kohala Play-Day

I got to go into Kohala last thursday (no, there's no koalas there) and holy schmolies. This part of Kohala has been protected, restored, and fenced, and I got to see some of the most endangered plants and animals in the state! We were checking it out because my boss is brilliant and wants to survey some of the most gorgeous areas on the island to see what the insect fauna is like. Previous studies are lacking. We gonna find out how many invasives there are vs. native species, see if there's bad critters we need to do something about, and who knows, maybe we'll find something nobody's seen before! (We just did that with a wasp, in a different area.) Any botanists out there, it's been estimated that 'dozens' of undescribed epiphitic species exist in just the little part of the forest i went to.

We drove through the grasslands to get there, and again I have to point out the Many Faces Of Hawaii. If you didn't know where you were, you might say Ireland. or Vermont. See?

(i like that cow that's trying to hide behind the rock there. nice try, flossie, but i can totally see your bony butt sticking out. might wanna pick a bigger rock next time!)

Much of Kohala is grazing land for Parker Ranch, but some of the forest has been preserved. Here's a picture of what a fence can do for an ecosystem:

And I saw my very first happyface spider! (too lazy to crop & blow this up. so click on him:)

I was supposed to go snorkel at Puako this weekend, but instead I got a cold on Friday, and have been mouth-breathing ever since. hopefully next weekend I can find a beach that's not too crowded for the holiday weekend and make up for that. i'll keep you posted.

speaking of holidays, i'm still hoping christopher is going to come visit in june, and i've been reading my kauai guidebook -- we're talking about kayaking the Na Pali coast! "A few years back, National Geographic Adventure magazine ranked a kayak trip down Na Pali the number two thing to do on its list of America’s Best 100 adventures, sandwiched between dogsledding in Alaska (number three) and rafting the Colorado River down the Grand Canyon." (Chris & Brandy - if we do that, don't worry, it's a guided tour, and I swear I ain't gonna sit on my lifejacket! 8-P.) I'm very excited for my hawaiian vacation. I've still only seen this island and O'ahu! Embarrassing!

okay, happy short week to all. praise jeebus for fridays off. amen.