The In-between at Waikiki

Why the in-between? This spot is great for learning to surf, which was the main objective of my visit to this location. The name of the little beach sliver is unknown to me, but the name In-between refers to the surf spot past the boat docks. The beach is used primarily by the surfers to get to that spot. While I was there, I couldn't help but notice the vast differences, at first glance, in the assemblage of plants found here from those found at Ka'ena. The beach part of Waikiki and can be found by wandering towards the boat docks away from the Hilton hotel. On the map below it is the sliver of sand separated from the rest of the beach by parking lot.

 So what's living in a highly developed place like this? Well, many of the plants appear to be placed here on purpose by the landscapers who developed the property. Single trees or shrubs are evenly spaced in the parking lot. Close to the beach there is a small space where several plants are sharing the same lot. I can't speak on whether this was intentional or natural. Waikiki is also on the leeward side of the island, so the climate is relatively dry. This is a limiting factor for plants without intensive watering by people. Refer to my first post for a list of the guides I will use for identification. I will also be using the UH Manoa campus plants guide provided by the UH Botany department to identify some of the introduced species found at this location.

The Aloe (Aloe vera) is a striking plant that is popular due to its medicinal properties and popularity in consumer products like drinks, lotion, or sunburn relief. The flowers are raised on stalks and are yellow-green in color.

False Kamani (Terminalia catappa) is a common sight around the island of O'ahu. This particular tree doesn't seem to be doing too well, but in general the plant thrives here. The tree is wide-spreading and short. These trees are generally used for timber on the island.

I couldn't find an ID for the next 5 plants with the guides I have. They look like plants that I have seen on the mainland of the US, but I don't know their common names with confidence. The grass is a common grass used for turf but it isn't well maintained out in this part of the lot. While I don't know what these plants are specifically, I am pretty confident that they are not native and were planted here for show. This is another reason I did not tackle the flora of the Hilton hotel itself as their feature here simply claims that there are over 50 species from all over the world planted in the gardens and around the property.

Out of all of these introduced plants, I believe the below is the Monkeypod (Samanea saman). The plant is characterized by the long, thin pods of leaves. The flowers are pink when they are in bloom, but they are not visible here. It is commonly used for ornamentation, such as it is here. 

Down on the beach itself there are more false kamani trees and some coconut palms (cocos nucifera) that are also very common around developed areas as well as coastal areas. Coconut trees are considered the tropical plant and often associated with Hawai'i by visitors (such as myself), but the plant is not native. In fact, coconuts were introduced by early Polynesian explorers in canoes. 

The Grand Crinum (Crinum asiaticum) is a medicinal plant from Asia. The plant is characterized by its white flowers and wide leaves.

The Papaya (Carica papaya) is characterized by its lobed leaves seen below. The leaves grow on stalks that grow horizontally away from the main trunk.

This plant is known as Milo (Thespesia populnea). It is not known whether the plant is non-native or indigenous, but it would have been an early Polynesian introduction. It has drooping, heart-shaped leaves. The flowers on this plant are yellowish-pink with a red center.

The 'Akoko (Euphorbia skottsbergii) is a Hawaiian endemic plant. This variety is found only on O'ahu in coastal areas.

I got a glimpse of the Hilton property here and I spotted a bunch of very green naupaka (Scaevola taccada). These coastal plants are native to Hawai'i and it was nice to see them among the non-natives. Another difference here from Kaena is that the plants don't have yellowed leaves. The groundskeepers here keep everything lush and green.

Summary:
Rating: 3/5
This part of Waikiki was very nice, but full of non-natives. Here I should define non-native; an organism that was introduced to an area by humans. This is slightly different from an invasive species, which is an organism that threatens native organisms. The area contains mostly non-native plants that have been specifically placed there. This makes the beach look more tropical. However, this doesn't give native flora a chance to shine. There are very few native species here as compared to Ka'ena.
The small beach is mostly used by surfers so there aren't many people who go there to sunbathe. This would be a good spot to go for surfing and hanging out at the beach if you just want to get in the water or sit under some shade. I enjoyed my time at Ka'ena more, but I also enjoyed getting the chance to go in the water here.

Web Citations:

"Hilton Hawaiian Village Oahu." Oahuvacationguide.com. Oahuvacationguide.com, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

"University of Hawaii Campus Plants, UH Botany." University of Hawaii Campus Plants, UH Botany. Gerald D. Carr, 29 Mar. 2006. Web. 24 Feb. 2016.

Intro plus Ka'ena/North Shore

Introductions
Hello! I am a student at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa who just recently arrived in Hawai'i for the first time. Throughout my time here, I plan on exploring all the nooks and crannies of the island so I can learn as much about this place as possible. However, beaches are an attraction that bring a lot of visitors from around the world to Oahu. As a natural history student, I'm interested in the species assemblage at each of Oahu's beaches around the island. Some questions I'll ask include: what species are common around the island? What is the assemblage of species at "tourist-y" beaches like Waikiki? How does the assemblage differ between beaches? What kinds of habitats or niches do the beaches provide? All these and more will be explored with plenty of beautiful pictures along the way. Generally, I will provide an overview of the beach I am visiting and then go through images of the flora and fauna that I encounter at that location. At the end of each post I'll wrap things up with a summary and comparisons to previous locations. I will use the Hawaiian Native Plant Genera page provided by the UH Manoa botany department and the book A Guide to Hawai'i's Coastal Plants by Michael Walther to identify plants I encounter. For animals, I'll be using The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide: Hawaii by Les Beletsky.

Ka'ena Point and the North Shore

My first beach visit on Oahu wasn't technically a visit to the beach. Ka'ena point is the location of a major conservation project to preserve native Hawaiian species. The point is at Northwestern end of the island of Oahu. A fence separates the point from the rest of the island to keep predators and invasive species from entering. More about the project can be found on the Ka'ena Point official page.

I started my day about an hour's hike away from Ka'ena along the north shore. The waves here can get to be almost 40 ft. tall during this time of year. On this trip, they were around 15-20 ft. 

As you make your way towards Ka'ena, you see that there are many low lying plants that grow along the coastline. These low lying plants make up the majority of the flora found along this part of the north shore.  

The Chinese Violet (Asystasia gangetica) is a garden plant that is spreading rapidly in Hawai'i. These shrubby plants can smother other vegetation such as the 'Ala'ala wai nui (Plectranthus parviflorus) in the lower right corner.

The 'Ilima (Sida fallax) is the official flower of 'Oahu. These plants are still fairly common around the island and I saw several near Ka'ena. Pictured is the plant growing among some Pili grass (Heteropogon contortus).


The Pa'uohi'iaka (Jacquemontia ovalifolia subsp. sandwicensis) is common around the Hawaiian islands. This species of plant can be found outside of Hawai'i, but the pictured subspecies is endemic. The invasive Australian Saltbrush (Altriplex semibaccata) can be seen in the lower half of this image.

This guy was the first bird I spotted on the trail. I wasn't able to get too close but my best guess on this one is the Pacific Golden-Plover or Kolea (Pluvialis fulva). They can be found all over the island in natural and developed areas. Swolle Fingergrasses (Chloris barbata) can be seen on either side of the trail here. They are characterized by the brown tufts that give them their name.

Red-Crested Cardinals (Paroaria coronata) are a common sight in developed areas of the island, but I was surprised to see them so close to the coast. Although, this area is dry enough to accommodate them. 

The flowering plant below on the left is the Koali 'awa (Ipomoea indica) that is characterized by its light purple-white flowers and heart-shaped leaves. To the lower right is another Chinese Violet plant. If you look closely you may also find the banana spider (Argiope appensa) siting on her web.

The Naupaka (Scaevola taccada) is a common shrub plant found around coastal areas of the Hawaiian islands. This plant can also be found on coastlines throughout the Tropical Pacific and Indian oceans.

Naio (Myoporum sandwicense) is an endemic tree that can grow between 3 to 35 ft. This plant is sometimes referred to as "Bastard Sandalwood" because it makes a cheap replacement for sandalwood when stocks are low.

The white flowers seen below belong to the Koa haole (Leucaena leuocephala), which is an invasive plant. It has high drought tolerance and forms dense thickets. Not pictured are the large green or brown seed pods that also characterize this plant.

This beach is called "hidden beach" if you look for it on google maps. It's fairly small and rocky so it may not be the best idea to go too far out in the water, but it was a nice place to stop and hang out.

Slugs are a major issue in Hawaii as they ravage garden plants and may carry rat lungworm. Below is the Cuban slug (Veronicella cubensis) found on the trail to Ka'ena along the North Shore. More info.

There were several 'akoko plants that were both outside the fence and inside the fence at Ka'ena. Some of them looked like the one pictured below with many of its leaves gone. This particular plant (Euphorbia celastroides var. kaenana) can only be found at Ka'ena point. This variety is currently endangered.

Coastal 'Ohai (Sesbania tomentosa)  is characterized by the reddish flower seen hiding behind some leaves below. This species is currently endangered on the Hawaiian islands.

This bird is the main attraction of Ka'ena Point. The Laysan Albatross or Moli (Phoebastria immutabilis) can only be found in the Pacific. A population of these birds nest in Hawai'i at Ka'ena point during the winter months. The enclosure was mainly built to protect these birds from predators such as the Polynesian rat (Kepler, 1967).

Some more Naupaka found within the enclosure with flowers in bloom. The half-circle morphology of these flowers is the basis of a Hawaiian legend that the beach Naupaka and the mountain Naupaka were once lovers who were separated by the god Pele due to jealousy. The lovers were transformed into plants to spare them from Pele's wrath. It is said the lovers can be reunited if a flower from the coastal variety is paired with a flower from the mountain variety.

The Hawaiian archipelago is the only place that the Hawaiian monk seal or 'Ilio-holo-i-ka-uana (Monachus schauinslandi) can be found. They generally live near the secluded islets and atolls of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, but they can be found on the main islands, Kauai to the big island, as well (Beletsky, 2000). Ka'ena is a great place to go to look for them. Be aware that the species is currently endangered so give them plenty of space if you see them.

Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) such as the one pictured below could be seen perched atop branches within the fence of Ka'ena. They can generally be found in dry forest or dry scrub habitats.

The shrub pictured here is the Nehe (Lipochaeta integrifolia), an endemic flowering plant. The pictured spider is a "Hawaiian Garden Spider" or "Banana Spider" (Argiope appensa). These spiders were introduced to Hawai'i and the females are larger than the males. The pictured spider is one of them. ID Source.

Summary:

Rating: 5/5

The Hike to Ka'ena is fairly easy coming from the Northern side. From the parking area to the tip is about an hour's hike. The best time to go is between December and February when the Laysan Albatross are nesting. The "hidden beach" is the closest beach area to the Ka'ena and is perfect for a shallow dip or a rest. The waves are not as strong at this small alcove beach as compared to the surrounding beach areas on the North Shore, but they can still get pretty rough. I got to see many native/endemic plants and animals, but there were also several invasive species as well. The enclosure has been helping to bring the Laysan Albatross population back up, but as far as plants go there was a mix of invasive and native species both outside and within the enclosure. This location is great for seeing native and endemic species. The trail is accessible to everyone and the hike is fairly easy with places to rest along the way.  

Book and Journal citations:

Beletsky, L. (2000) The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide: Hawaii. London, UK: Academic Press.

Kepler, C. B.. (1967). Polynesian Rat Predation on Nesting Laysan Albatrosses and Other Pacific Seabirds. The Auk, 84(3), 426–430. http://doi.org/10.2307/4083097

Walther, M. (2004) A Guide to Hawai'i's Coastal Plants. Honolulu, HI: Mutual Publishing, LLC.

USDA, APHIS. 2010. Tropical Terrestrial Gastropods: Pest Information. Emergency and Domestic Programs: Chapter 2 and 6. 5/2011‐1 Cowie, R.H. 1990. Non‐indigenous land and freshwater molluscs in the islands of the Pacific: conservation impacts and threats; Hawaii Biological Survey Contribution No. 1990‐010.

Web citations:

"Hawaiian Garden Spider Insect Information." Hawaiian Garden Spider. Www.InsectIdentification.org, 18 July 2014. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.

"Jump Start For Index Page." Hawaiian Native Plants, UH Botany. Gerald D. Carr, 29 Mar. 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

"KA‘ENA POINT ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT." Hawaii.gov. State of Hawaii, Feb. 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.