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The happy face spider, known in Hawaiian as nananana makaki‘i (Theridion grallator), lives on the undersides of leaves in rain forests, mostly on Hawai‘i Island. Photo by Jack Jeffrey

According to Bishop Museum scientists, there are more than 5,800 known native insect species in Hawai‘i, over 94% of which are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. On Sunday, October 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., join Hawai‘i insect specialist David Foote to look for Kamehameha butterflies, long-horned beetles, fruit flies, and happy face spiders in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park’s Kipukapuaulu (Bird Park).

In Foote’s program, entitled “Native Insects: A Field Discovery,” participants will learn about the natural history of this kipuka (an island of older forest surrounded by younger lava flows) with an emphasis on its insect population.

The Kamehameha butterfly (Vanessa tameamea) is one of Hawai‘i’s two native butterflies. Photo by Jack Jeffrey

“Hawai‘i’s native insect fauna has undergone many examples of spectacular adaptive radiations, and we’ll look for examples of these evolutionary processes in some of the more common native insect species,” stated Foote.

“We’ll also talk about the functional role of insects in Hawai‘i’s native ecosystems, the impact of invasive alien insects, and the conservation of native Hawaiian insects–of which over 40 have become extinct in the last century,” he added.

David Foote is Project Leader for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, Kilauea Field Station in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis and a B.A in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley.

This Hawaiian long-horned beetle’s host plant is koa. Photo by Jack Jeffrey

The program includes a total of approximately one mile of walking on a forested loop trail. Youth are welcome as long as they are supervised by a parent or legal guardian. Participants should be prepared for the 4,000’ elevation and for variable weather conditions, including sunny, windy, chilly, and/or rainy.

“Native Insects: A Field Discovery” is presented by the Hawai‘i Volcanoes Institute, a program of the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, a non-profit organization. Program cost is $35 for Friends members and $50 for non-members. Students (K-12 and college with valid student ID) are half-price. Non-members are welcome to join the Friends in order to get the member discount.

To register, please call 985-7373 or visit www.fhvnp.org