Roughly a quarter century ago I planted a native ‘ohi’a lehua tree in my garden. That tree is now fifteen feet tall, and blooms abundantly every few months. Honeybees always come to feed on the nectar — but I never expected to see a native ‘apapane feeding there. ‘Apapane are native forest birds, bright red and black in their adult coloration.

Hawaii has suffered extreme environmental changes since humans first arrived here, with the pace of change only accelerating after westerners arrived. Today, nearly all the bird and plant life at lower elevations are introduced species. Native forests generally exist only at higher elevations, and often only in highly protected areas such as Haleakala National Park here on Maui. The native forest bird population has suffered even more, with many species already extinct. One reason for their decline is that they have no natural immunity to avian malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes.

Aside: humans are not susceptible to avian malaria, so no worries there. Also, mosquitoes are yet another non-native species. They were accidentally introduced around 150 years ago.
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