We headed back up Haleakala this morning for a hike with a ranger into the Waikomoi Preserve, a Nature Conservancy project adjacent to the National Park. A ranger met us at Hosmer Grove. It was a gorgeous day and there was only one other couple with us. No clouds on this particular day :-)
The project is attempting to restore this area to totally native Hawaiian plants. When Hosmer came to Hawaii, he wanted to help stop erosion etc and introduced all sorts of conifer plants in this area. They have shaded out many of the native plants. Because it is an island, many of the birds and plants have evolved together, making many species of birds very specialized in what they can use as a food source. When those plants are removed from the environment...the birds will disappear. All the Pacific Islands are making a concerted effort to protect their native plant areas and try to enlarge them.
Below is a sampling of what we saw on this great hike - .
Native tree flower
Blueberry Plant
The birds below are the 'I'iwi, the Maui Creeper and a 'Apapane
