A Symbol of Perseverance and Hope
Christmas is described as a time of peace and joy, but for many, it brings feelings of sadness and abandonment. It is for those that I share this image of a unique tree. For me, it is a symbol of perseverance and hope.
This is an ‘Ohiʻa Lehua tree. It is the most common native endemic tree found in the state of Hawaiʻi, meaning it is found there and nowhere else in the world. Amazingly, it has adapted to grow directly in lava rock. Those who have experienced lava know that its shards are hard and sharp. Nice to look at, lava is inhospitable terrain. But the seeds of the ‘Ohi’a Lehua blow in the wind and settle in cracks in the lava, and find a way to survive, creating beauty along the way..
Hawaiians utilize the hardy tree for building houses, canoes, spears, while the flowers are used in lei and sung about in chant and hula. Flowers are considered sacred to the goddess of lava and volcanic eruptions, Pele.
These trees are home to many native insects and even rare native tree snails! The ʻōhiʻa lehua flowers are an important food source for birds, they sip the nectar from the red blossoms and glean insects in bark and leaves.
There are many versions of a legend about the ʻOhiʻa Lehua tree. One is of a couple who were madly in love- a man named ʻŌhiʻa, and a woman named Lehua. One day the volcano goddess Pele, taking the form of a beautiful woman, saw ʻŌhiʻa and was attracted to him. However ʻŌhiʻa refused Pele because he was in love with Lehua. Pele in her fit and fury, then turned ‘Ōhiʻa into a tree. Lehua, hearing of her lover being gone, asked the gods to turn her into a flower so she could be with him, which they did. To this day, if you pick the lehua blossom from the tree, it is said that it will rain because the two lovers have been separated.
A Symbol of Perseverance and Hope
Christmas is described as a time of peace and joy, but for many, it brings feelings of sadness and abandonment. It is for those that I share this image of a unique tree. For me, it is a symbol of perseverance and hope.
This is an ‘Ohiʻa Lehua tree. It is the most common native endemic tree found in the state of Hawaiʻi, meaning it is found there and nowhere else in the world. Amazingly, it has adapted to grow directly in lava rock. Those who have experienced lava know that its shards are hard and sharp. Nice to look at, lava is inhospitable terrain. But the seeds of the ‘Ohi’a Lehua blow in the wind and settle in cracks in the lava, and find a way to survive, creating beauty along the way..
Hawaiians utilize the hardy tree for building houses, canoes, spears, while the flowers are used in lei and sung about in chant and hula. Flowers are considered sacred to the goddess of lava and volcanic eruptions, Pele.
These trees are home to many native insects and even rare native tree snails! The ʻōhiʻa lehua flowers are an important food source for birds, they sip the nectar from the red blossoms and glean insects in bark and leaves.
There are many versions of a legend about the ʻOhiʻa Lehua tree. One is of a couple who were madly in love- a man named ʻŌhiʻa, and a woman named Lehua. One day the volcano goddess Pele, taking the form of a beautiful woman, saw ʻŌhiʻa and was attracted to him. However ʻŌhiʻa refused Pele because he was in love with Lehua. Pele in her fit and fury, then turned ‘Ōhiʻa into a tree. Lehua, hearing of her lover being gone, asked the gods to turn her into a flower so she could be with him, which they did. To this day, if you pick the lehua blossom from the tree, it is said that it will rain because the two lovers have been separated.