Is it weird to come home from a big adventure like a trip to Hawaii and say that what you liked most was the trees? Of course, we loved all of it. The beaches and sea turtles, the mountains and volcanic craters and especially, snorkeling from boats over the most beautiful reefs we’d ever seen. It was all amazing. But I have to say, that I especially loved the trees.
I believe it was the varied silhouettes of the trees that hit me first. We are so used to our oaks and maples, to our evergreens with their oh-so-familiar shapes. In Hawaii, Cook pines reach up above the horizon like the tallest of bottle brushes while massive banyan trees fill nearly every town square. Lahaina has one of the largest in the world and was planted in 1873. Of course, there is every variety of palm, but I loved the monkeypod trees along the roadway that spread overhead with dark, twisting limbs that look nothing like what we are used to here. Impossible for me to photograph properly, I just wanted to keep driving through their shady tunnel.
David’s photograph of Lahaina’s famous banyan tree.
Monkeypod trees near Lahaina.
Beautiful but not native to Hawaii are the albizzias, which grow quickly and have amazing, high, flat tops that look as though you could sit on them. Another invader, brought in as a failed lumber source, is the rainbow eucalyptus tree. Stands of them on the road to Hana blow the mind with their peeling bark that reveals bright colored streaks. Having only seen them in photography books, I was totally bowled over at seeing them in person. Unfortunately, both tree species grow quickly and absorb water needed for native trees like the Koa.
Rainbow eucalyptus.
The wonderful silhouettes of trees at Fort DeRussy Beach Park on Oahu.
In other news, Picturing the Dark, the second book in my Audrey Markum series, is nearing the finish line! Just waiting on final proofing and cover art. For now, I am scheduled to be interviewed on a podcast about it next Saturday, 3/25/2023 so there should be a link to that to share soon. The adventure continues!