Pouring into the sea, Hawaii's lava has forged almost two and a half square kilometres of new land in less than 25 years
It's cold, hard rock - bleak, threatening and barren
But there are some colonisers who just won't be put off
'Ohi'a lehua, a native plant and symbol of Hawaii, is among the first to flourish on this new land
This spindly bush will grow into a 30-metre-tall tree, its bright flowers are food for a variety of birds, like these Hawaiian honeycreepers
But how on earth can a seed become a tree in a place where there is no soil and no sign of fresh water?