While in Hawai'i recently I was enthralled
by a friend's creative use of skulls as 'containers', or rather hosts, to all
kinds of epiphytes (orchids & airplants) and even some succulents.Hung outside in all manner of form and orientation, the natural pukas [1] in the skulls form a myriad of spots to tuck in small plants. These creative containers also very slowly release nutrients to the plants as wind, rain, sun and time erode them.
If you are wondering about their origins,
these skulls are primarily from goats, of which there are many feral herds on
the Big Island, and which often have unfavorable encounters with traffic. The heads are then buried in an ant hill for
cleaning of any soft tissue, and then planted with Phalaenopsis spp., Mokara
spp., Oncidium spp., Tiarella spp., and others. Planting in a skull might not be your cup
of tea, but it is a great example of renewal in the cycle of life.
For another round find in Hawai’i, check
out a Very Good Food recipe turning beautiful yellow liliko’i (Passiflora edulis var. flavicarp; yellow passion fruit) into
juice…and martinis!
