The happy-face spider exhibits an array of color patterns on the back of its abdomen, sometimes resembles a smiling face. These spiders blend in with the undersides of leaves where they build their flimsy webs and catch prey. The happy-face spider is endemic to the Hawaiian archipelago but only is found on four of the islands: Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii. The spider populations on these four islands show off a variety of happy-face patterns. Such a variation in form is referred to as a polymorphism – many forms (also known as morphs).

The most common color morph, plain yellow, has no smile. However, the yellow morph is not alone in the forests, and spiders with different color patterns in many forms of smiles (and frowns) can be found with little effort. These different morphs are caused by the different gene versions carried by the spiders.

'Ala'ala wai nui (Peperomia leptostachya) is a small, succulent, herbaceous plant. The upright unbranched stems are green or reddish green and are 6 to 8 inches long and about 1/4 inch in diameter at the base. The fleshy leaves are green and lighter colored underneath. The internodes spaced 1/2 to 1 inches apart. The leaves are oval, 1/2 to 2 inches long, and half as wide. The tiny flowers are arranged in numerous tall, slender spikes 1 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long that grow mostly on the ends of the stems. Fresh seeds of Peperomia leptostachya have a high germination rate (80%). They are no longer viable after being stored for 3 months. Complete loss of viability occurs even when seeds are stored at a temperature of 39 degrees F and a humidity of 10%.