Читать книгу Oahu Trails. Walks Strolls and Treks on the Capital Island онлайн

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Native beach naupaka (Scaevola sericea, foreground) and hala (Pandanus odoratissima, middle ground) arrived on ocean currents.

Be-still, a yellow-flowered, non-native oleander common in lowland Hawaii, is so-called because it’s poisonous: Eat any part of it, and you’ll be still forever.

Few of Hawaii’s native plants put forth showy flowers or set palatable fruit, so the new settlers imported ornamental and fruiting plants to brighten their gardens and tables. Many shrubs and trees did so well in Hawaii’s favorable climate that they escaped into the wild to become pest plants, crowding out native species and interrupting the food chain.

Birds brought over as pets escaped to compete with native species. More species of native birds have become extinct in Hawaii than anywhere else in the world, and most of the birds you see will be introduced species like the zebra dove and the myna.

It is tragic but true that when you visit Hawaii, you will probably see very few of its native plants and animals. But don’t give up: Your chances of seeing native plants and animals are better on the trail than elsewhere on Oahu!