Its scientific name is Cyanea rivularis. In the mountains of Kaua‘i it produces conical-shaped lavender and white flowers, which like many endangered plant species across the state, are key components to a fully functioning and healthy native ecosystem.
If Hawai‘i is going to survive climate change, it will be up to us and future generations to lead the way. Much of the work falls to the state’s natural resource specialists who sometimes risk their own lives to protect “the rarest of the rare” native species. From hiking Maunakea’s frigid slopes and rappelling Waimea Canyon’s cliffs to monitoring miles of reefs and beaches, they work with community partners to preserve life as we know it in the islands and save even the smallest of our inhabitants from extinction.