2 The Buddha Path

Aloha my friends!!It’s so nice to wake up to the pleasant sounds of the arboretum.

ʻAmakihi and I stop for a grand feast! We drink nectar from the flowers and look for insects on the branches of the ʻOhiʻa tree. Look at the bright Red flowers.

This path looks beautiful! Look at the different shades of green. ʻAmakihi is going to take us up the Buddha Path.

We are flying right above you! 

To navigate through the virtual tours, please:

• • click on the box in the upper right hand corner to go to full screen mode.
  • click and drag your mouse to navigate.
  • click the arrows to move up or down the path.
  • click on the plus signs to learn more

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I can see beautiful trees from above as I fly around. ʻAmakihi wants to share more about the plants. Let’s get a closer look!

Yellow Saraca

I see a tree with the most amazing yellow flowers. “It’s the Yellow Saraca tree,” shouted ʻAmakihi. 

It is a tree with clusters of petal-less yellow flowers and large, flattened purple fruit pods. The pods have hard, black seeds inside.

The Yellow Saraca tree is like a burst of sunshine in the park. The bright yellow flowers are so pretty to look at. There are bees buzzing around and butterflies fluttering nearby, all enjoying the nectar from the flowers. 

This is what I learned from ʻAmakihi.

Scientific name: Saraca asoca

Origin: The Ashoka is a rain-forest tree. Its original distribution was in the central areas of the Deccan plateau, as well as in the western coastal zone of the Indian subcontinent.

Family: Commonly known as the ashoka tree, this plant belongs to the Detarioideae subfamily of the legume family. It is an important tree in the cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent and adjacent areas.

Click on the arrows to see the Saraca flowers

What did we learn today?

The Ashoka tree, scientifically named Saraca asoca, is native to the rainforests of central India and the Western Ghats. Belonging to the legume family, it’s culturally significant in the Indian subcontinent, known for its yellow flowers and purple fruit pods.

ʻAmakihi wants to know if you remember what you read.

Drag the words into the correct boxes

Very well done! Let’s be on our way. ʻAmakihi is flying high up. I wonder what I am going to see now.

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Viti Coconut Palm

Wow! Look at these tall trees! ʻAmakihi calls them the Viti coconut palm. They can grow up to 16 feet! I wonder where this tree is from.

Scientific name: Vietchia vitiensis

Origin: Fiji

Family: Veitchia vitiensis is a species of flowering tree of the  Arecaceae family. It was found only in Fiji.

The Viti palm is solitary and its trunk is slender, very thin, and slightly tapering, growing up to about 16 meters tall and 7-20 centimeters in diameter.

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What did we learn?

The Viti Coconut Palm is a flowering palm tree species found exclusively in Fiji, belonging to the Arecaceae family. It is mostly used for landscape purposes.

Where is the Viti palm originally from? Drag the Viti palm picture into the correct box with the country name.

You did great!! Let’s go…

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Bottle Palm

I spot an interesting tree with a large trunk. It almost looks like a bottle!

I ask ʻAmakihi about this tree. “This is the Bottle palm tree,” says ʻAmakihi. It is scientifically known as Hyophorbe lagencaulis. 

Scientific name: Arecaceae Hyophorbe lagencaulis

Origin: Florida and Hawaii

Family: Arecaceae

The Bottle palm has a large swollen trunk. People sometimes believe that the tree stores water in its trunk, but this is not true, said ʻAmakihi.

Bottle palm can only have four to six leaves open at a time. Young palms have red or orange leaves that become green when they mature.

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What did we learn?

Wow! How cool… that the leaves change colors as the palm tree grows! It starts off with red or orange leaves and then, the leaves become green when the tree gets older!

Now, let’s see you drag and drop the correct crayon colors in the correct boxes. 

Hope you had fun!! I can see ʻAmakihi calling out to me and flying towards some plants. Let me hurry.

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Hawaiian Ti

ʻAmakihi points to a shrub that is super important in Hawaiʻi. It’s called the Ti plant! Ti grows well in places that get plenty of rain.

Its leaves are long and green, and sometimes they’re red too! The leaves are shiny and look pretty in the sun. The large narrow leaves are 1-2 feet long and about 4 inches wide.

Hawaiians use Ti leaves for lots of stuff, like making leis and cooking yummy food. Ti is considered sacred and used in special ceremonies.

Scientific name: Cordyline fruticosa 

Origin: Pacific islands including Hawaiʻi

Family: Asparagaceae

ʻAmakihi says the Red Ti is believed to bring good luck and is very popular in Hawaiian gardens.

Green Ti leaves are used to make hula skirts and Ti leaf lei. The leaves can be used as wrappers for cooking if they are large enough. In traditional hale (houses) Ti leaf was used to thatch roofs.

Today, both Red Ti and Green Ti are common house plants.

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What did we learn?

Ti plants are shrubs that have shiny leaves that are important to Hawaiian culture! This endemic plant can be braided and has multiple uses in special ceremonies.

Can you recognize the Red and Green Ti leaves? Drag and drop the names on the leaves.

Well done! 

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Mangrove Fan Palm

Hey guys! Look at these big leaves shaped like a fan! It looks like a tree from a story book.

“This is the mangrove fan palm,” says ʻAmakihi. “Did you know these trees help prevent erosion because of their unique roots?”

Click on the hotspots to learn more about the fan palm.

Scientific name: Licuala spinosa

Origin: The plant is native to Southeast Asia.

Family: Species of palm in the genus Licuala. Mangrove fan palms grow up to 6.6 to 23.0 feet high. It may grow in clumps. It prefers full sun, and a lot of water.

Scan the QR code to see the mangrove fan palm in 3D!

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What did we learn?

Wow! This tree likes tropical climates and its leaves are used in Cambodia for cooking! ʻAmakihi told us so many things about the Mangrove fan palm. Do you remember everything? Let’s see.

Drag the correct answer into the blank.

Excellent! I am glad you remember all the details about these wonderful plants. 

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Chinese Rice Flower

“Hey, look over here! It’s a Chinese rice flower shrub!” shouts ʻAmakihi. This shrub has a slightly sweet lemony flower fragrance.

Scientific name: Chloranthus inconspicuus

Origin: East Asia (China and Japan)

Family: Chloranthaceae

“Chinese Rice Flower plants are perennial,” says ʻAmakihi. “This means the plants go away during the winter but come back in the spring”.

They are found in countries of East Asia such as China, Japan, and Korea. These plants are sometimes used for medicinal purposes.

The shrub has jointed stems, simple leaves, and small flowers in slender spikes. We could not see any flowers in the shrub. “We’ll come back some other time,” says ʻAmakihi.

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What did we learn?

What a cool shrub! I can’t believe the Chinese Rice flower can be used for medicine!

Here we go again! Select the correct answers. There are 3 questions to answer.

Good job! Hey look ʻAmakihi is flying without me. Wait for me!

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Bodhi Tree

Suddenly I feel my heart becoming light. ʻAmakihi is flying up the path and I follow without asking any questions. I soon realize that I am close to the top of this peaceful path called the Buddha Path.

It’s so calm and quiet, just perfect for relaxing.

As I’m flying, something catches my eye: a tree unlike any other I had ever seen! Its leaves are heart-shaped and sway gracefully in the sunlight, dancing with the breeze. This tree, my friends, is no ordinary tree. It’s the Bodhi tree!

ʻAmakihi asks, “Do you know what’s so special about the Bodhi tree?” I shake my head.

“It’s the tree under which the Buddha, a wise and peaceful teacher, attained enlightenment. Isn’t that amazing?

Look at the sunlight filter through the leaves.

Scientific name: Ficus religiosa

Origin: Pakistan to Thailand

Family: Moraceae

Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment (bodhi) while meditating underneath a Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, India. He is said to have meditated for 6 years seeking enlightenment. The Bodhi tree is also known as the Bo tree or Peepul tree, and often planted near Buddhist temples.

The leaves are cordate shaped, which means they are shaped like a heart.

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What did we learn?

This is a sacred tree in the Buddhist religion! Its heart-shaped leaves remind me to spread love and compassion into this world.

Let’s see what you remember. Drag the correct answers into the boxes.

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The Buddha Statue

After seeing the amazing Bodhi tree, I look behind me and notice something special: a big, shiny statue of the Buddha!

The Buddha statue is standing peacefully, with a gentle smile. The Buddha looks calm and wise, just like in the stories I’ve heard. I feel peaceful just being near it.

ʻAmakihi says that the Buddha was a teacher who taught people about kindness, compassion, and finding peace within themselves. Being near the Buddha statue makes me feel like I could be a better bird, spreading kindness and joy wherever I go.

Look at the pictures below, learn the names, and click on the Buddha statue.

Awesome!! You are getting very good at this. 

Thank you for coming with me on the Buddha Path. It’s time to rest now.

Get ready for some creative adventures.

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