Annual Christmas Plant and Pottery Sale at UH–Maui College
Each holiday season, students of agriculture offer the fruits of their labor—bright poinsettias and rare native plants they’ve cultivated—while their counterparts in the art department sell one-of-a-kind ceramics.
Basking turtles
Over the last decade, Maui’s green sea turtles have resumed an ancient ritual: coming ashore to catch some zzzs. Turtles can be seen on a dozen Maui beaches basking in the sun—and in the attention of appreciative beachgoers. Reminder: Disturbing sea turtles is against the law. Stay at least ten feet from the snoozing reptiles. Photo by Andrew Shoemaker
Hau
Polynesian voyagers carried the tree hibiscus to Hawai‘i in their canoes. Its octopus-like branches yield luminous fiber when stripped and soaked, a perfect material for hula skirts and cordage. At dawn, lovely hau flowers bloom bright yellow; by dusk they’ve turned crimson and fallen.
Photo by Forest & Kim Starr
‘Alalā recovery
Call them Lazarus. Hawaiian crows were extinct in the wild. Key word: were. For decades, biologists at the Keauhou (Hawai‘i Island) and Maui Bird Conservation Centers labored to revive this charismatic species in captivity. Last year, the Keauhou facility released eleven ‘alalā into an East Hawai‘i forest. Maui’s crows still live in aviaries, but play a critical role in safeguarding the species’ survival. Drive up Olinda Road to hear them squawking and serenading one another.
