A frog holding a taro-leaf umbrella. A parade of frolicking animals. An Ukiyo-e style Mount Fuji. Giant waves. A Japanese artist who goes by the name Lito carves these delicate designs on fallen ...

Once one of the world’s most cultivated root crops, taro has been succumbing to taro leaf blight, a disease caused by water mold. Many of Hawaii’s traditional varieties are particularly ...