Day 1 (April 25)

First day of the Hawaii trip was loads of fun!  Went swimming at Hapuna beach and learned some interesting things.  Where to begin?

While wondering through hardened magma at Wakiloa petroglyphs site, I noticed some interesting grass (with further research, I found out the plant is literally called lava grass).  Looking even further at the individual long strands of grass produced something even more interesting.  It appeared that the shoots curled inwards to accommodate for the lack of water in the area.  This creates sort of a guide straight to the base of the plant and the root system so the water doesn't fall off the leaves and miss the roots. The shoots of the grass are also very thin to make the roots more exposed and accessible to the rain.

Another interesting fact about the lava grass is that the roots are very thin and short. This is due to the lack of water storage needed and the difficulty to grow through such a solid surface.

The rocks that the lava grass grow on are covered in beautiful petroglyphs! Apparently, the Hawaiian language was only oral until the American protestant missionaries came in 1820 and tried to turn oral language into written form.  The result: petroglyphs!

As well as lava grass, ironwood trees are located around Wakiloa petroglyph park.  What is interesting about them is that their pollen tubes are located on the ends of the shoots on the tips of the plants (very far away from the stigma flower) to reach nearer plants easier. This helps with reproduction by expanding and spreading the species. 

On the car ride to back to the western Kona side of the island, I noticed that the environment around me was slowing turning from desert to grassland.  The drastic change in climate is due to the mountains blocking the rain and wind from entering into the west side of the island.

All in all, a very fun day!  Nothing like shaved ice, sun, and ocean air.

Aloha!