Last Big Expedition to Alakai Swamp - Part I

In a last ditch effort to find this white whale of a spider I obtained a permit to camp at Sugi grove in Kokee Park for three nights - Tuesday - Friday (June 28-July 1). I was the only one camping in a grove of Japanese cedars which were planted here in the 1930s. Behind my camp site is a stream which was difficult to access requiring a 'controlled' slide down a 10' embankment. I was really lucky to score the covered picnic area since it rained frequently while I was there, although never a heavy rain.

Alakai swamp is really not technically a swamp, it is more of a bog in the remains of the volcanic caldera that created Kauai. Sitting at about 4000 ft in altitude, the area is constantly draped in clouds which makes your hikes a wonderfully cool and misty experience (if you are not prepared for it then I guess it would be a wet and cold experience. I totally forgot to bring anything warm to sleep in and my nights in the tent were a comical wrestling match between me and my attempt to use a 1/2 beat sheet (used for spider sampling) and towel as bed covers. I remembered to bring all the collecting equipment but totally forgot about myself.)

One of the most remarkable things about the mixed temperate forest in Kokee is the tree diversity. These forests are one of the richest in tree diversity on all of Hawaii. The red flowered tree In the center is the mythical 'Ohi'a-lehua (Ohia is the tree - lehua refers to the red shaving brush flowers). This tree is often the first colonizer of recent lava flows. You can imagine how its red flowers and the bright red color of flowing lava seem too much of a coincidence- there are great stories in ancient Hawaiian culture concerning this tree and the great godess Pele.

It is a wind pollinated species but they are probably assisted by native nectar-feeding birds.

Across the road from my campsite is the Kawaikoi stream trail. This short 1.5 loop trail follows along the stream. I went back out into this trail on the first night to search for spiders.  

I was very excited on the first night of searching because I captured a couple of green Tetragnathid spiders that were hanging out under leaves. The spider I am searching for - D. raptor - is green and hangs out under leaves at night as it hunts for prey. When I gave the spider a closer look the next morning I notcied this chestnut mark on its back - my heart sank as I realized it is not D. raptor but instead Tetragnathid waikamoi or T. macacantha. Beautiful spider but still not the one.