Nā Po‘e o ka Pō, “The People of the Night”

The Hawaiian nighttime has its own very active unseen ecosystem. Nā po‘e o ka pō, means “the people of the night.” This was an epithet for unseen gods that help their devotees. The activities of night creatures support the health of our ecosystem in ways we don’t always recognize.

The foundation of nightlife are the night blooming plants like the maia pilo (Capparis sandwichiana). It is related to the caper plant. The large white flowers have a lemony fragrance that attracts moths to feed on the nectar and pollinate them. They open at sunset and stay open after sunrise. During the day, they slowly wilt and turn pink under the hot tropical sun.

A fertilized maia pilo flower grows into a long green cucumber shaped berry that turns orange when ripe. The Hawaiian name maia pilo means “stinky banana.” Although most people find the flowers pleasant smelling, the odor of the fruit is less appealing. Many birds enjoy eating the maia pilo fruit and aid in dispersing the seeds.

The maia pilo flower is an important food source for many kinds of moth. There are 955 species of indigenous Hawaiian moths—compared to only two species of native butterfly. The Hawaiian word for moth is ōkai.

The ōkai pictured on the maia pilo blossom is the Epithecia orichloris. This endemic moth is uniquely carnivorous. The larval stage of the moth disguises itself as a twig. When an unsuspecting insect wanders within range, the caterpillar ambushes it, grabbing with its clawed forelegs.

The ‘ōpe‘ape‘a is the Hawaiian hoary bat (Aeorestes semotus), the only indigenous land mammal in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiian name means “half leaf.” The bat wing resembles the underside of a taro leaf, where the thick veins of the leaf look like the fingers of a bat. The wingspan is about 1 foot (30 cm). It’s nocturnal and feeds on flying insects. It is a generalist and feeds on both native and introduced insects. It is the only flying nocturnal insectivore in the Islands and can control the populations of many damaging insects.

It is difficult to accurately count the population of the ‘ōpe‘ape‘a. Nonetheless, it’s important to protect them as much as possible. Some known threats are barbed wire fencing and wind turbines. Both can be fatal if a bat collides with one in the night.

The ‘ōpe‘ape‘a is solitary, and does not form colonies with other bats. It roosts in treetops and raises a family there. The bat loses its habitat when trees are cleared for pasture, agriculture, or urban development.