Ohia and Lehua not doing so well

Lehua buds, blossoms and foliage could be in short supply for the Merrie Monarch Festival next spring.

A tree-killing fungus that plagued more than 16,000 acres of ohia trees on the eastern part of Hawaii island has spread to western areas of Holualoa and Kealakekua.

Could it be Pele’s revenge? According to Hawaiian legend, the goddess turned Ohia, a warrior, into a tree after he rebuffed her marriage proposal. The gods took pity on Ohia’s real love, Lehua, and turned her into a flower on the ohia tree so they could be joined forever.