AboutOrchids

Hawaii’s beauty takes many forms. During a recent trip to Honolulu, Dave and I enjoyed warm sun and the clear, blue ocean, but with our cameras, we found much more. Amid the hotels, restaurants, and souvenir shops, busy Waikiki is a good place to find botanical beauty. These first three photos came from our hotel and nearby shopping area.

To truly explore the island’s botanical treasures, however, you need to step out of Waikiki. A short drive away, in a different neighborhood, the tropical paradise of Foster Botanical Garden abuts Honolulu’s skyscrapers. We visited Foster in early 2013, but we enjoyed different summer blooms this time. In the next set of photos, a Spathoglottis, a Dendrobium hybrid, and a colorful gecko are a small fraction of Foster’s incredible collections.

If you don’t explore beyond Waikiki, you’ll also miss treasures like Lyon Arboretum, a tropical rainforest located at the upper end of Honolulu’s Manoa Valley. This 200 acre (81 hectare) garden is run by the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. It’s often overlooked on tourist maps, so you’ll mostly share the hiking trails with island locals. The final six pictures show views from Lyon Arboretum. Dave and I returned with more photos from all of these locations, so check back soon as I sort through them to find the best.

Explore posts in the same categories: Photos, Warm Growers

This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2014 at 9:20 pm and is filed under Photos, Warm Growers.

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