The Haleakala National Park on Maui, Hawaii, holds a beautiful surprise that you might not expect to find in such stark, barren conditions.
It’s the gorgeous shiny ahinahina or Silversword plant.
Found only in Maui (there’s a slightly different species on the Big Island’s Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa) the Haleakala Silversword somehow grows in the volcanic cinder soil, but it is a threatened plant and its roots can be damaged if you walk too closely to it.
I was so absorbed in trying to photograph it that I missed the signs and got a park ranger shout for getting too close, so learn from my mistake. 🙂
While in Maui on the “So Much More Hawaii” bloggers tour (my trip was sponsored and paid for by the state Hawaii Tourism Authority) I enjoyed a ride up to the volcano summit with my local host blogger, Liza and her family from A Maui Blog.
There’s a lot more to write about Maui in future posts, but I love these plants so much I thought I’d get a couple of photos up as quickly as I could, because they are stunning.
What beautiful plants, Sheila!
Hi Antonia, I think part of their beauty is their fragility, in such a harsh environment.
Hey nice pic.The silversword plant looks nice i have never seen yet.Thanks Sheila for such nice info.
Hi, it’s a beautiful plant, thanks for your comment.