In Season

Every winter, Hawaii entertains around 4,000 North Pacific humpback whales returning from their summer vacations in Alaska.

Autumn is a thrilling time for Hawaiian owls and those who admire them.

Hau blooms year-round, though its crepelike blossoms last for a single day.

Hawaiians honor Lono, god of agriculture, during a four-month-long celebration called Makahiki.

Each spring the tall jacaranda trees lining the Upcountry Maui roadsides begin their slow explosion of color.

This versatile vine wove its way into the fabric of Hawaiian life.

Official hurricane season in Hawaii runs from June to November and August is by far the biggest month for these events.

Bright red poinsettias are a familiar sight in the Hawaiian Islands during the holidays.

Some of Maui’s strangest flowers bloom in winter—though witnessing these living curiosities requires some effort and a sharp eye.

‘Aki‘aki, also known as seashore rush grass, is an indigenous ground cover that thrives in salty, sun-blasted environments.

Trade winds are the prevailing gusts that blow across the tropics. But here in Hawai‘i, they’re mostly known for delivering perfect weather.

Deck the halls this season with Hawaiian ohelo berries, a sacred yet edible plant endemic to Hawaii. They are also a nice alternative to cranberries.

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.

Oopu nakea is the largest and most abundant of five native Hawaiian goby species, famous for their ability to climb steep waterfalls.

Since 1996, volunteers have helped Hawaiian hawksbills turtles reach the ocean, and you can too.

As summer ripens, local fishermen start scanning the shoreline for oama, or baby goatfish.

Get the recipe Natal Plum Holiday Relish for a new holiday tradition.

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.

Decorate your holiday table with a wreath of island flora featuring ‘ūlei.

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.

‘Awapuhi is one of the twenty-seven species known as “canoe plants”—plants the first Hawaiians carried with them and relied on when colonizing these Islands.

This story explores ancient Hawaiian uses for the kukui nut, and the legends that surround it.

He‘e (octopuses) have brief but magical lives.

The native Hawaiian shrub 'a'ali'i is as tough as it is beautiful. Learn about its role in restoring ecosystems, and its uses for Hawaii's lei makers and crafters.

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.

Entomologists fear this endemic butterfly, our official state insect, may be disappearing from forests.

Lobster season closes to allow Hawaiian spiny lobsters a chance to reproduce.