Have you thought about how a spider smiles? I had the pleasure of showing nananana makaki‘i, also known as the happy-face spider or Theridion grallator, to people during an open-house event at Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge. Nananana makakiʻi are known for their color polymorphism (meaning there are many color appearances within populations because of genetic variation) and most famously known for the color polymorphism resulting in markings that resemble a smiley face on their abdomen, hence the English name, happy-face spider. Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge is not regularly open to the public and has not been hosting events for many years for a variety of reasons, most recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, for the first time in a long-time, people were welcomed to Hakalau and I was able to be there as a volunteer guide. Nananana makaki‘i (also known as the happy-face spider or Theridion grallator) on the underside of ‘ōhiʻa lehua leaves. The nananana makaki‘i on the left has the well-known red smiley face markings. The nananana makaki‘i on the right is a different color polymorph and is next to an egg sac holding keiki spiders. While I am not an entomologist expert, I was asked to share what I do know, and thankfully, I was paired with an expert entomologist. Many locals know about nananana makaki‘i, but few people have seen them in person. We found a few spiders where we were stationed along the trail, and it was an absolute joy watching smiles emerge and see happiness spread from the nananana makaki‘i to the people. Happy face spiders, happy face people. It reminded me of how much joy we can experience when in good relations with nature. Including how much joy people experience when experiencing something for the first time. And how much joy people experience when re-connecting with a place. There was a mixture of visitor experiences. For some people, it was their first visit to Hakalau. For others, it was their first time visiting in years since Hakalau was last open to the public. Having relationships with places and nature are so important in caring for places and caring for nature. Specifically, at Hakalau, even refuge staff say that the community created Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge because of community involvement and drive. My experience at Hakalau leaves me wondering how do we facilitate conservation and ecological work that invites people in and prioritizes building relationships. The more I learn, the more I realize how critical relationships are. Nā pilina with place. Nā pilina with nature. Nā pilina with plants. Nā pilina with humans. Walking down the trail at Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge. Imagine loud bird calls from many native birds including several endangered native birds. The sounds were stunning.
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AuthorI started this blog as part of my Botany In Action Fellowship through Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Archives
June 2023
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