Video:Tips for Exploring Limahuli Garden and Preserve
with Molly WheelerLimahuli Gardens and Preserve on Kauai Island in Hawaii is a beautiful tourist attraction where you can find incredible plant species. Watch this travel video from About.com to learn more Limahuli Garden and Preserve and its conservation efforts.See Transcript
Transcript:Tips for Exploring Limahuli Garden and Preserve
Aloha. I’m Molly Wheeler for About.Com welcoming you to the beautiful island of Kauai.
Limahuli Garden is Located on Kauai Island
One of five tropical botanical gardens in the U.S., Limahuli Garden and Preserve is located on the north shore of Kauai inland from Haena State Park and Ke’e Beach off of Route 560.
Start your tour at the Limahuli Garden Center. There is a fee for both the self-guided and guided tours. The center is open from 9:30 a.m to 4 p.m. Tues through Sat. The tour is ¾ of a mile long on a loop trail which is steep in some areas so be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes.
Plants Found in Limahuli Garden
"Limahuli" means "turning hands" in Hawaiian, honoring the ancient Hawaiians who built agricultural terraces out of lava rock by hand and then planted them with taro, an important food crop.
Along the walk you’ll see plants that were important to early inhabitants of Hawaii along with native species and also Polynesian-introduced plants including the kukui, breadfruit, banana, paper mulberry, turmeric, hibiscus, ginger, kava, plumeria, and sugar cane. A plantation garden is part of the tour.
Limahuli Stream is one of the last pristine waterways in the islands. Descending from the high end of the valley at 3300 feet to sea level just below the garden, the stream provides a habitat for indigenous aquatic life. The Makana mountain ridge towers over the gardens. In the Limahuli Preserve behind the gardens, scientists are working to preserve native species.
Conservation Efforts of Limahuli Garden
Limahuli Garden was selected by the American Horticultural Society as the best natural botanical garden in the United States. Sound environmental practices and design favoring conservation of water, soil, and plants have made it not only beautiful but an example for plant conservationists everywhere.
I hope you have enjoyed your tour of the Limahuli Garden and Preserve. Thanks for watching, to learn more visit us at About.com. Mahalo.