Utilizing drone technology, researchers from the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) on Kauai recently rediscovered a native Hawaiian plant that was thought to be extinct. The plant, called Hibiscadelphus woodii, was rediscovered in a small colony of three individuals growing on a vertical cliff face in a remote part of Kauai’s Kalalau Valley (watch drone footage here). The cliff region is known as a biodiversity hotspot in the Hawaiian Islands where most sections are inaccessible to humans as well as goats that otherwise pose a threat.
Read the rest of the article, including breathtaking drone footage of the Kalalau Valley, on the National Tropical Botanic Garden website.