Imagine this: a tiny berry, plucked from a Japanese mountainside, hitching a ride inside a bird, crossing 4,000 miles of the Pacific, and landing on newly risen Hawaiian soil. Millions of years later, that berry becomes the ʻōhelo — a red-fruited wild blueberry treasured by native Hawaiians, feeding birds, shaping ecosystems, and holding deep cultural meaning.
That’s exactly what scientists at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) and the University of Florida discovered in a new study published in the American Journal of Botany, according to a release.Using DNA sleuthing, they traced Hawaii’s blueberries not to North America, as long assumed, but to temperate East Asia — specifically Vaccinium yatabei, found only in Japan.
“This is a rare pattern among Hawaii’s native plants,” said Dr. Peter W. Fritsch, co-senior author and BRIT research scientist. “Only 4% of Hawaiian plants are estimated to have come from temperate East Asia, whereas most arrived from North America or tropical regions.”
The berries’ journey began 5 to 7 million years ago, when migratory birds carried seeds across the ocean, planting them on Kauaʻi as it emerged from the sea. Pre-adapted to wet, cold climates, the plants thrived at high elevations, later colonizing lava flows on the youngest island, Hawaii, where almost nothing else can grow. And the story keeps going: some plants spread to Southeastern Polynesia, hybridized with distant relatives, and DNA evidence hints that a few may have even traveled back to North America — a nearly unheard-of reverse migration. Scientists now suspect 15 to 18 distinct Hawaiian blueberry species await formal recognition, far more than the three currently known.
Closer to home, Fort Worth residents don’t need to travel oceans to experience nature’s surprises. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is opening its 120 acres of curated landscapes with multiple free admission days this November. Veterans Day kicks things off Tuesday, Nov. 11, thanks to Amazon, followed by H-E-B Texas Recycles Day from Friday, Nov. 14, through Sunday, Nov. 16, where guests can earn free entry by bringing a clean, dry plastic bottle or bag. For those who want music with their flora, the Garden’s final Blooms & Beats concert of 2025 lights up Friday, Nov. 14, with Nicholas Patrick performing live in the Horseshoe Garden, food trucks on hand, and a cash bar to sip under the stars.
Whether it’s wandering Fort Worth’s gardens or following a blueberry’s epic journey across oceans and volcanic soil, both experiences are a reminder of the resilience, surprise, and quiet beauty that nature delivers.