KupuKupu

Dear Kupukupu,

You are my first endemic forest buddy. Before you, I didn't know how important endemic species are to the forest, the island, the planet. I'm getting a peak into the world of land and resources management for the state of Hawaii. Projects include protecting incredibly rare endemic animals like birds (the Nene and Maui Parrotbill) and eliminating invasive plants that choke out the natives, like the kahili ginger. In the past when I see a 4 foot kahili ginger flower stalk, or a creeping lantana ground cover bloom, or a purple thistle rising up in the forest, I stop for a photo. It turns out that my best photos are of invasive species. Today I captured an indigenous plant in Makawao Forest, the kupukupu fern. Indigenous plants are hard to come by in the more accessible forests.