These flowers, ʻōhiʻa a lehua, were abundant as we walked along Crater Rim Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Plant life famously loves volcanic soil, but the presence of the ʻōhiʻa was remarkable to me considering how close they are to gases emitted by Kilauea. But I did notice the presence of distress -- the frothy strands of roots spreading from branches. Knowing that Hawaii is suffering from drought conditions -- which was made starkly, alarmingly clear by the raging wildfire that decimated Lahaina in Maui -- it was not entirely surprising to see the ʻōhiʻa spreading air roots in order to catch more moisture.
