Sunday, January 13, 2019. About those denizens, and monkeypods at UHWO

Another overcast and completely still morning.  Not a breath of breeze to tremble the hāpuʻu fronds or quake lau ʻōlapa.  Thereʻs a minor bloom of ʻōhia in the area, adding bits of brightness to the forest.  In the old days, especially on Oʻahu, there were thousands of bits of brightness amongst the trees.  Those denizens I mentioned are/were kāhuli, or pūpū kani oe.  Tree snails.  Particularly those in the genus Achatinella.  Google away, please.  Nona Beamer singing "Kāhiki aku, kāhuli mai...", and any number of densely interesting scientific papers will reveal themselves too.

But a perhaps not so concise summary:  On January 1, 2019, "George", the last surviving individual (as far as is known) of Achatinella apexfulva died. It was kamaʻāina to a particular place in the Koʻolau on Oʻahu.

Hearing news of his demise while on Oʻahu last weekend I suppose was appropriate, because Oʻahu was home to hundreds of species of kāhuli, three-quarters of which are now extinct.  The news stirred memories.  Memories from decades ago.  And it stirred sadness, and appreciation, and longing for times long gone.

In the 70s and 80s (I think), Bill and Mae Mull lived in Volcano Village.  They were "retired".  Bill was, after retirement, a Research Associate for Bishop Museum, and Mae worked tirelessly with the Hawaiʻi Audubon Society.  I hadnʻt thought about them in awhile.  Bill was one of the people who inspired myself and many others, taught us, and encouraged us.  He was kind, approachable, humble, and a photographic genius.  

He worked quietly in his Volcano home photographing kāhuli he hand-carried from Oʻahu, and happy-face spiders, and, and, and... Go find a copy of "Hawaiian Insects and their Kin" by Frank Howarth and Bill Mull.  Billʻs photos are an amazement.  And go look at 

ʻuluʻulu archive

for footage of Bill and many many others back in the day.  That archive, created, I believe, by Heather Giugni is housed at...UHWO.  I forgot to remember to go look when I was there.

I can still hear Bill talking about his snails, and their names:  Achatinella apexfulva, Achatinella lila; he adored them all.  Achatinella give birth to live young, and Billʻs slide shows (remember slides?) were wonder full.  In the field on walks through Kīpukapuaulu, or the forests of ʻŌlaʻa, his easy familiarity with the plants and their unique characteristics taught me to see.  And heʻd often conduct "Root Examinations", pulling up kahili ginger or other invasive species so we could see their roots.  Of course the point was to kill weeds.

Cherished memories of a gentler time.  Sigh.......

So.  Kāhuli live(d) in trees.  LOTS of snails.  So many that there were collecting parties.  Walk into the forest with a stick, whack branches, pick up snails.  Look at the Bishop Museum species list I shared yesterday:  Terrestrial (on land) Gastropods (snails and slugs).  We have/had, as of 1994 when the list was compiled, a total of 831 species, of which 759 are/were endemic, and 50+ NIS (Non-Indigenous Species).  75% or more of them are Extinct.  Each valley, each ridge on Oʻahu had its own species.  The diversity boggles the mind.

Kāhuli lived in trees, but they didnʻt eat the leaves.  They were/are little vacuum cleaners, rasping up films and bits of fungus, limu, etc.  They kept leaves clean, mayhaps to maximize photosynthesis.  The blackness on ʻōhiʻa and kōlealaunui below is kāhuli food.

Just like the Mystery Photo I posted awhile ago:

Snail trails on the tailgate of a Volcano vehicle.  Pretty cool I think.

Hereʻs a collage used on HPR/NPR Science Friday, glorious photo by David Sischo, of Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Land and Natural Resources on Oʻahu.  His title is "Snail Extinction Prevention Program Coordinator".  Mahalo piha for your works!!!

Mostly on ʻōhiʻa leaves...youʻll get an idea of scale.

And to close for Sunday...the clouds are burning off as they have been the last few days.  

Burnt by the sun.  As is the plain of ʻEwa.  Hot.  Dry.  Sere.  So unlike Mānoa, where the rain Tuahine provides ample moisture for the growth of many things, and recharges the watertable.  The McCarthy Mall on the UH campus there is iconic, as is the use of monkeypods for plantscapes on much of wet Oʻahu:

 

Note the girth of trunks, and importantly, the size of planters.  And understand that underneath is moist Mānoa soil and expansive adjacent lawn.

At UHWO, nine monkeypods in a courtyard.  Not sure, but it sure seems that someone had fun with the green color in Photoshop.

Above, the courtyard under construction with monkeypods being planted. Note size of planters. And adjacent concrete.

Installed and growing.

The trees are still very young, and planters appear to be on the small side.  The tree on the left doesnʻt appear to be too happy.  And that plastic water bottle???

So.  Just because something looks good and works in one place, doesnʻt mean itʻs transferable to other places or climates.  Plants, water use, fishing practices, forest management...they should all be place-specific.  If we

noho i waho...a maliu       be outside...pay attention

Perhaps monkeypods back in the day were a good choice for Mānoa.  Maybe these days something else wouldʻve been more appropriate for ʻEwa.  

Wiliwili?  Yes...The gall wasp problem, but itʻd be great for student research and observations.  And I donʻt know if gall wasps are on Oʻahu. 
ʻUlu?  Great source of food for cafeteria service or for students to take home.  
Loulu hiwa?  They grow slowly, but...

Always something to "hmmmmm" about.

Best to go walking... Thanks for reading.

As always, with aloha,

BobbyC
maniniowali@gmail.com