Ivy covers part of the dense forest, above, off of Old Pali Road.
Below, and a blooming flower.
Although it looks like ivy gourd, the infamous forest pest that blankets much of Hawaii's native plants and trees, this particular ivy found off Old Pali Road is actually called thunbergia.
A resident most likely brought in the thunbergia, a pretty ivy with a beautiful lavender flower, as an ornamental ground cover.
But it "escaped" into the wild, according to Ken Teramoto, chief of biological control with the state Department of Agriculture.
"That's how most forest pests are brought in," he said. Although thunbergia isn't considered as much of a nuisance as ivy gourd, which covers much of Waimanalo and Haleiwa on Oahu as well as Kauai and the Big Island, it still stifles native greens, Teramoto said. Its one saving grace to Hawaii: "Thunbergia is very slow growing."
Within the ivy-covered forest are an unusual
formation, above.
Below, the sun barely shines through a section of the
forest blanketed by ivy.
