FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Lisa Nakayama, left, and Neil Reiner, right, state Department of
Agriculture inspectors, looked yesterday for insects from a
Christmas tree held by Matson employee Rodney Rivera. The
department inspects incoming tree shipments at the Matson
Terminal at Sand Island.

Unwelcome frog
found on Christmas
tree ship

The biggest shipment of trees
is expected to arrive Saturday

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com

The first thing many consumers buy for Christmas is the tree. And now there are many more trees to choose from.

The biggest shipment of the season arrives Saturday, but 126 containers carrying between 400 and 700 Christmas trees arrived over the weekend.

During a routine inspection by the state Department of Agriculture yesterday, an unwelcome visitor was found in one of the containers: a Pacific tree frog, Hyla regilla.

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
This Pacific tree frog was found yesterday in a Matson container
of Christmas trees by state Department of Agriculture inspectors.
A Matson spokeswoman said the frog is harmless.

The frog, which grows to about three-fourths of an inch to 2 inches, breeds between January and August in areas of Southern California, British Columbia, Montana and Nevada.

The frog is distinguished by its black stripes running from the nostrils through the eyes. It also has dark patches or stripes on its back.

"It was a harmless tree frog," said Matson spokeswoman Myrna Chang.

The first shipment of trees arrived on Nov. 17 primarily to supply retail store displays and for neighbor island retail sales. The last shipment via Matson is expected to arrive Dec. 8.

Matson, which has been carrying trees to the islands for more than 100 years, estimates that it brings in more than 115,000 trees every holiday season.

Trees are loaded into refrigerated containers at Christmas tree farms in Oregon and Washington. The containers are sealed to maintain the trees' freshness while en route to Hawaii.