ORCHIDS AND VOLCANOS
Much of the vegetation near Kilauea volcano is scraggly and stunted, due to the sulphurous and acidic volcanic fumes. Yet amid the rugged landscape, wild orchids such as this one shoot up on meter-high (3') stalks culminating in a single blossom.
    It is a reminder that volcanoes are, in fact, a creative force rather than a destructive one. Without the volcanoes, the Hawaiian islands would not exist.