A year ago today I planted a Ficus benjamina (Malaysian/Chinese weeping banyan) at the foot of the 2018 lava flow that covered a good portion of an acre on the southern side of the property of the intentional community where I live, including the road (the road ends at us with a 15-foot tall wall of lava).
I planted it at the base of the lava so that, as it grew, it would grow up onto it. These trees get massively large. They grow roots down from all branches, which when they hit the ground, they thicken quickly to become new trunks. These trees 'walk', and if unobstructed, can cover acres.
These first batch of photos were taken the morning after I planted it, the day after Thanksgiving, November 28th, 2020.
These next two were taken on February 25th, 2021.
This last batch were taken just a few hours ago, November 27th, 2021. Since I planted it, this tree has grown extremely quickly, increasing its size and spread quite notably over the course of the year, even with having half its branches chopped off accidentally by someone unaware of what it was.
I wish the form of the tree was more visible in these photos, There is a lot of other vegetation on the lava, somewhat obscuring it especially with how the light was at that time of day. The branches going off to the right have spread quite quickly part way up the lava. Soon those branches will send down roots, which would become trunks, and my beloved banyan will begin 'walking' up the lava wall. One day this will be a beautiful cathedral-like entry to gardens and food forests up on the lava.
I named this banyan the End of the Road Banyan, as it is planted right at the end of Noni Farms/Pu'u'ā Road at the foot of the lava.
This is in Lower Puna, on the Eastern tip of the Big Island of Hawai'i.
