Lavas, lichens and ferns, Hawaii

The first plants to colonise new lava fields of Kilauea volcano are lichens, mosses and ferns. The basaltic Hawaiian lavas produce fertile soils and rainfall around Kilauea is high. Plants take root in small pockets in the solidified cooled lava where rainwater collects and soil nutrients begin to form. The fern in this image is a *Polypodium pellucidum* one of the most common ferns on the lava fields.