Our Very Own "LAVA TREE"

Tall stately formations at the park

One of the sites to see when visiting the Puna District on the Big Island of Hawaii is Lava Tree Park, and, it is only 3-4 miles from our house.  There is a path that navigates around the park which is filled with eerie dark shapes that used to be living trees.

Conditions have to be just right for the formation of these monolithic abstracts; as moving lava slowly creeps through a forest, it piles up around living trees, creeping up higher and higher on the trunk.   The lava cools around the tree, but the remaining hotter lava soughs off leaving the tree wearing a jacket of lava.  As the tree dies, the lava formation remains. Here is a photo we took on a recent visit.

Debris piles in front of the cleared area

Peeking out through the brush!

In the aftermath of the attacks in Paris, I like others have felt a range of emotions.  Sitting in front of the TV I found myself paralyzed with a sense of deep sadness and shock.  But, after two days, I also felt I had to just get up -- GET UP and find something very physical to do to help release the emotion.

Gratefully, I continue to find a calm grounding energy as I select another wild corner of our property to address.  Some of our ohia trees along the north property live have died, so we are clearing places to plant a variety of new trees.

Our own "lava tree" formation

Three days ago, I randomly chose a spot that needed clearing -- about 10-12 feet back to the property line.  The invasive vines and shrubs were about 12 feet tall, and I have been working on it for three days steadily.  In the process I continue to find old bus parts and rusted metal. But, today, as I got almost back to the property line I was astounded to discover that we had our own (albeit small) LAVA TREE!

It was totally overgrown with invasive shrubs, with roots growing around and through the formation, so it was careful work because the outer "jacket" can be quite brittle. Our lava tree is only about 3.5' tall, but I am clearing a path around it that will eventually feature ferns and flowers instead of ugly stubble and debris.