Summer is here — and honestly, where did the time go? For our family, this season means getting outside with the keiki. There's a shoreline trail we love, and ʻōhai grows there. Pointing it out, saying its name, sharing what we know — those are the moments that matter. That kind of connection to the ʻāina is what started this whole journey almost 10 years ago, and that curiosity has only grown since.
Meet ʻŌhai
ʻŌhai (Sesbania tomentosa) is a native Hawaiian dry forest plant with pea-shaped flowers that range from brilliant red-orange to soft salmon. It grows where few plants can — lava, rocky ridges, coastal dunes, dryland shrublands — from sea level all the way up to 3,000 feet elevation. And it doesn't just survive in those conditions. It gives back. As a nitrogen-fixing plant, its roots enrich the soil, feeding the native plants growing around it. In a dry forest where soils are thin and stressed, ʻōhai holds its place so others can take root alongside it. It is federally listed as endangered, with an estimated 2,000–3,000 wild individuals remaining across the entire state.
The Visit That Changed Everything
This year, that curiosity led us to Waikōloa Dry Forest — and it was one of those experiences that stays with you. We got to learn from a botanist, walk through a landscape that feels almost impossible to believe exists in Hawaiʻi, and stand next to the biggest ʻōhai shrub we had ever seen in our lives. Breathtaking doesn't cover it. Almost 10 years into this journey as an artist and a lover of native plants, that moment felt full circle. To be able to hold a conversation with a botanist, to recognize what was growing around us, to feel that deep — that's what years of paying attention will do for you.
Why It Became Art
Honestly, it was hard not being able to feature ʻōhai as a centerpiece of our Dry Forest Collection, which debuted at Merrie Monarch 2026. But when a plant moves you that much, letting it go isn't an option. When we want to storytell and a plant deserves to be seen, we find another way. That's how ʻōhai ended up on one of our greeting cards — and how it became this month's free digital download. Some stories just need to be told.
Why We Share Art Freely
Every month we release a free digital download because it's our kuleana to share art in service of the places and plants we love. If a single image can spark joy, inspire curiosity, and deepen someone's connection to this ʻāina, that's how we all aloha ʻāina together. Save it. Share it. Start a conversation.
Take It Further — Field Notes Notebook
This summer we made something special for our next huakaʻi to find ʻōhai with our keiki — a Field Notes notebook. A place to sketch, write, observe, and pay attention. Because the best way to love something is to really look at it. The notebook is available at Hoʻomau this month, alongside the ʻōhai greeting card. Come find us.
Download Your Free ʻŌhai Digital Download
The full-resolution ʻōhai illustration is yours — use it as your mobile wallpaper, your desktop background, a little reminder to get outside and look for her yourself. A highlight from our Dry Forest Collection, this month's download is our way of bringing the dry forest to you, wherever you are. By downloading this artwork you agree to use it for personal use only. Please be pono and do not reproduce, sell, or manufacture with these files.
Shop the ʻōhai greeting card and find the Field Notes notebook at Hoʻomau. Link in bio.