Silversword Bloom & Perseid Meteor — Haleakalā, Maui (ʻĀhinahina)

A blooming Haleakalā silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum)—ʻāhinahina—glows beneath the Milky Way as a vibrant Perseid meteor streaks across the night sky. This once-in-a-lifetime bloom, which occurs only once every few decades, is found exclusively on the upper slopes of Haleakalā volcano on Maui. Set against the galactic core during the height of the annual Perseid meteor shower, this rare native Hawaiian plant embodies the fragile, otherworldly beauty of Hawaiʻi’s alpine ecosystems. A truly celestial convergence of time, place, and species.