Just so! Story has it that this locale, "Old Lady's Cave", mihgt have been a pre-contact hiding spot for a group of natives who were hiding from an opposing chief & his men. Unfortunately, one of the opposing chief's forces saw people disappearing into the face of the cliff and told his mo'i, who then ordered his soldiers to search for a cave. This they did by pounding on the ground in the area where the person was seen to have disappeared. Eventually, the opposing forces were able to smash through the roof of the cave, and dispatched those who had hidden.
The question then is, how did this haole holly fern get to this location? Birds?
This is Cyrtomium falcatum, the holly fern. Although it is quite a beautiful fern, it is not native to Hawai'i. I have seen it in a variety of places in lava settings, usually near the coast, such as in lava tubes at Kalaupapa, Moloka'i.
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The question then is, how did this haole holly fern get to this location? Birds?