Capturing the Moment

Entering the Lyon Arboretum   Ever since I discovered the multiple botanical gardens here on Oahu I have been waiting to take my mother. There are so many amazing plants growing here in this tropical climate of Hawaii. You can find wild orchids growing high up in the trees, massive bromeliads, and ferns that make you feel like a dinosaur will jump out of the bushes at any moment. Poison Dart Frog   In the rainforest deep in Manoa valley one of these botanical gardens reigns supreme, its called the Harold S. Lyon Arboretum. We narrowly missed a downpour of rain here but not before seeing a very cute little poison dart frog as well as many interesting plants throughout the garden. We even caught a glimpse of the resident sulphur crested cockatoos high up in the tree tops. Mom amongst the ruins of long lost ruins   Our next stop was also deep in the rainforest. We hiked through a secret trail thru a bamboo forest until we came across the ruins of Kameham...

Water Lily Madagascar Day Gecko   Hidden in the back corner of beautiful Manoa valley is the Lyon Arboretum. For the nature lover it is set in a lush rainforest with a small waterfall at the end of the trail. For the birder it may be your only chance to spot white cockatoos and green parrots screeching in the tree tops. And don't even get me started for the plant lover. From water lilies in small ponds, to entire gardens of bromeliads and heliconia, this garden has it all. Orchids grow wild up in the trees and down on the ground, and some time in the next 40 years their two Halipot Palms are going to put on one heck of a blooming show.   Started in 1918 by the Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association (HSPA), the Lyon Arboretum began as a reforestation effort to protect that valuable watershed. In 1953 Harold Lyon urged the HSPA to transfer ownership over to the University of Hawaii with the stipulation that it will always be used as an arboretum and botanical garden. ...