The ecosystem became much wetter, and the remaining Naio (Myoporum sandwicense) trees began to rot away.
Its food consists of the seeds of the fruit of the aaka (Myoporum sandwicense) (bastard sandal-tree, and probably in other seasons of those of the sandalwood tree), and as these are very minute, its whole time seems to be taken up in cracking the extremely hard shells of this fruit, for which its extraordinarily powerful beak and heavy head have been developed.
The bee visits several native Hawaiian plants, such as Scaevola coriacea, Sida fallax, Sesbania tomentosa, Myoporum sandwicense, Santalum ellipticum, and Vitex rotundifolia.