Shoshin in Hawaii
Friends and regular readers of the blog know the immense peace and satisfaction I derive from the creatures around us. Creatures whose different characteristics serve them well. Some that evolution has equipped them with in order to live and thrive. Patience, perseverance, the ability to soar high while zoning on in the details when required, the ability to look out for one another as a group – as geese do on their long flights, or pelicans on their migrations. To work and play like dolphins and squirrels.
I could go on and on.
Going to a different ecosystem makes us sit up and take notice of all the things that are special to that place. Polynesian islands, or any islands, for that matter have this ethereal quality to their beauty. It is in the tropical colors, the unique flowers that greet us almost as soon as we land in the airports (plumeria in the case of Hawaii), the scents of the island – at once putting a great distance between the mainland and the islands. Floating by themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, these islands, have been written about, explored almost completely, and still holds enough wonder and astonishment for the traveler with shoshin in their eyes.
Shoshin: is a Japanese concept that roughly translates to a Beginner’s Mind, meaning a mindset in which one is eager to explore, learn and stay curious in the world around you.
🐟🐠 O’opu Fish : Stellar Climbers 🐟🐠
Who knew that the humble o’opu fish would take me into streams of new words like: diadromous, anadromous, euryhaline?
Take for instance the o’opu fish. As far as fish go, they are fish enough – they have fins, they swim, and they can fix you with a glassy stare. But then, just when you’re ready to classify them with thousands of other fish in the oceans, they surprise you. They are not just fish in the ocean.
They are also fish in the freshwater streams in Hawaii.
Belonging to a small group of fish with this capability, they are known as diadromous fish – meaning they are comfortable in both saltwater oceans and freshwater rivers and streams. The O’opu aren’t just diadromous fish, they are also anadromous ( the more famous anadromous are the salmon) – meaning they swim upwards to the fresh waters to breed their young.
The O’opu fish have the remarkable ability to adapt to different salinities in water conditions. They also, and this is where I stood transfixed, can scale waterfalls of 400 feet upwards – we saw the waterfall they go upstream of (Akaka Falls) from a distance, and it took my eyes a few seconds to take the height of the waters in. These little goby fish, manage to scale these falls by sticking to the slippery rocks faces behind the waterfalls, in order to lay their eggs and ensure the next generation of ‘O’opu ‘alamo’o are born.
Now, I am not sure how different this is from, say: a gobi desert dweller living and thriving in the tropical rainforests of the amazon, but it seems like a pretty good comparison to make.
🌴🎋 Ohia Lehua Trees : The Resilient Pioneers 🌴🎋
The next day, we found ourselves huffing and puffing up a small-ish hill to take in the crater of the Hawaiian volcanoes national park. (It is not a steep climb if you’re wondering). As a small group of tourists jostled around the forest ranger to listen to her talk about the volcanic national park, another unlikely specimen grabbed our attention. The short, stubby, but thoroughly resilient Ohia Lehua trees. These trees are apparently the first ones to seed life post a volcanic event. Given that volcanic ash can be quite the problem to a breather, if you’re wondering how the little trees breathed, it is because they have the unique ability to close their stomata for up to two weeks.
Quote from the website:
The tree has a superior capacity for extending its roots vertically and can grow efficiently in cracks and fissures. ‘Ōhi‘a also have the capability to close their stomata, or breathing pores, so the trees can “hold their breath” when toxic volcanic gases are blown their way.
The Ohia Lehua trees and the O’opu Alamo’o fish are the stuff of Hawaiian legends.
Nature truly is a wonder marvel!
Reference links:
- https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2023/03/15/fish-live-saltwater-freshwater/
- https://www.hawaii-aloha.com/blog/to-pick-or-not-to-pick-an-ohia-lehua-blossom/
- https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-ohia-lehua-flower/
Nourish-n-Cherish 