It’s official! Governor Green recently proclaimed that April is again Tsunami Awareness Month for the State of Hawaii. This is not to be confused with World Tsunami Awareness Day, which is Nov. 5.

Easter and spring remind us that our gardens burst with new life even in the tropics. It brings out the best in our nature. However, it is important to know how to keep our landscapes happy.

The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington State illustrated the hazards and impacts of lateral (ground-hugging) volcanic blasts on natural landscapes and human infrastructure. The eruption devastated hundreds of square miles and killed 57 people. In the more than forty years since, several additional laterally directed explosive eruptions have occurred world-wide.

The tomato is an edible berry in the nightshade family, the plant Solanum lycocopericum and originated from Western South America, Mexico, and Central America. It comes from the Mexican Nahuatl word tomatl.

Shiny and elusive, featherlight and golden-brown. If poets were to write about rocks, I’m sure they would sing their praises of Pele’s hairs. Don’t be fooled, though, because Pele’s hairs are strands of volcanic glass, and they can pose a serious hazard.

The sun has officially passed over the equator as the Earth dips to the south. It is now officially spring. Our weather is generally mild all year, however, there is a noticeable spring fever effect when it comes to local gardeners. This is because many flowers start heavy blooming at this time.

Scientists from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) are collaborating with academic colleagues to make field experiences in geology more accessible for people who have been historically excluded, specifically those with disabilities.

Manago Hotel, in Captain Cook, has been named one of six winners in the prestigious James Beard Classic Award representing the Pacific and Northwest Regions for 2023. The selections are made to restaurants open for 10 years or more. I think being open since 1917 more than qualifies Manago Hotel for such an honor!

Analyzing lava samples can help us “see” inside a volcano, and results from the 2022 eruption of Mauna Loa gave us a window into the volcano’s plumbing system for the first time in almost 40 years.

Over the past two decades, both scientists and members of the public have anticipated the occurrence of slow slip events (SSEs) on Kilauea’s south flank. These events are recorded by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory’s continuous GPS network, which show as much as 2 cm (0.75 inches) of increased seaward motion of the flank over 2-3 days — equivalent to about an M6 earthquake.

Spring will soon be here as days get longer and some azaleas are showing up at a few nurseries. These are the varieties that are grown in mainland gardens where temperatures are mild, especially in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest.

Mauna Loa’s recent eruption is still fresh in the minds of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory scientists and Island of Hawai‘i residents. Now is a good time to reflect on this event, especially in comparison to the one 38 years before it.