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.
Hawaiian Winter
Hawaiians honor Lono, god of agriculture, during a four-month-long celebration called Makahiki.
A Fern by Any Other Name
Two attractive fern species in Hawai‘i share the name laua‘e. Both are beloved by lei makers and Hawaiian cultural practitioners.
The Right Stuff
Discover the endemic yellow mao blossom, its history, ancient and modern uses, and where to catch a glimpse of it right here on Maui.
Return of the Wiliwili
This native tree breaks all the rules. It grows on barren lava fields, loses its leaves in summer, and, faced with a deadly invasive pest, backed away from the brink of extinction.
Sex and the Coral Polyp
Few people think of corals as animals — which they are — and fewer folks contemplate their sex lives! Yet coral spawns are magical events.
Hercules of the Hawaiian Streams
Oopu nakea is the largest and most abundant of five native Hawaiian goby species, famous for their ability to climb steep waterfalls.
Watch out for Wedgies!
Wedge-tailed shearwaters spend the majority of their lives at sea, where they feed on baitfish and squid. They return to Hawai'i each spring to nest.
On The Wing
Entomologists fear this endemic butterfly, our official state insect, may be disappearing from forests.
Hawaiian Owl: Love Is in the Air
Autumn is a thrilling time for Hawaiian owls and those who admire them.
Winter Surf
For Islanders, nothing signals winter quite like the smell of deep ocean swells and the pounding thud of giant surf.
Hurricane Season
Official hurricane season in Hawaii runs from June to November and August is by far the biggest month for these events.
Autumn Harvest
Pumpkins are synonymous with fall on the mainland. In Hawai‘i, a different autumnal gourd ripens in the fields—the ipu, or bottle gourd.
Welcome Home, Kolea!
Every autumn, Hawai‘i welcomes home a beloved snowbird, the Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva), known to Hawaiians as kolea.
Persimmons
Known in Hawaii as kaki, persimmons were cultivated by Maui’s early Japanese farmers and continue to be harvested at a handful of family farms.
Spring Serenade
In springtime, Hawaiian petrels, or ‘ua‘u, return after many months at sea to their underground nests atop Maui’s 10,023-foot-tall volcano.
Koli‘i: The RuPaul of the Rain Forest
The native lobelia, koli'i spreads an umbrella of pink blossoms in late summer.
Summer Stargazing
Take advantage of Maui’s warm summer nights by gazing up into the star speckled sky.
Pua Kalo
The annual East Maui Taro Festival in Hana is the perfect opportunity to learn about—and taste—this delicacy.
The Once and Future Lei Flower
Few people know that plumeria has a true Hawaiian cousin: hōlei. This rare tree species is endemic to the dry forests of East Maui.
Wave Chasers: Sanderlings
Global populations of sanderlings numbers around 700,000—but only a few hundred hunakai call Hawai‘i home.
Vegetable Vampire
kauna‘oa, a Native Hawaiian medicinal plant and the official flower of Lanai, is as beautiful as it is deadly, earning it the ominous reputation as a vampire plant.
Maui Events & News
ʻAipono Wine Dinner at Kaʻana Kitchen
Please join us for an Aipono Wine Dinner at Kaʻana Kitchen in Wailea.
