Sunday, December 05, 2010

Amorphophallus titanum ( updated Dec 5 2010) and Changi Boardwalk

Twin peaks in the distance..

Changi Boardwalk - Kelong Walk


Another one some time later. ..outbound journey

Rock - Changi Boardwalk
Dec 05 ' still not fully open - SBG
Changi boardwalk
Elephant Grass ( Changi Boardwalk )
Small catch...
caught in the act ( Changi Village Beach)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Misc - mixed bag

Jetty
Woodlands Waterfront
Causeway from Woodlands Waterfront 
Jump!
We visited the Peranakan Museum - ' Ramayana Revisited'
Reclaimed by nature - a young shoot works its way up the support - oblivious of the additional padlock.
Canon ball young fruit near QE II walk
The furry end of the a young shoot.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Amorphophallus titanum Flower not open yet

You can get a glimpse of the crimson inner lining color. The flower is still not open yet.  What we need is a web cam live feed broadcast so we can all click and find out before coming to SBG! or do the slow way - call the info desk and asked.
Admirer of the Giant one.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

eXotica @ SBG Amorphophallus Titianum



 'Tip off' by my nature friend, I went to SBG for one sole purpose - taking pics of this rare appearance. Blooming is expected 17-20 November.
Example of what to expect here

Cabbage- like leaves enclosing the single longish inflorescence inside.

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Picked up a bird's abandoned nest under Yellow Flame


Intricate woven, structure wrapped around a twig. What happen if the twig is dried up and lose adhesion to the tree....

Another view of the shoe-like comfortable abode. Note a man-made red threads, bits of green moss, unknown white shavings...
 

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Labrador Park

I saw red ants as well as white-fine tent like web spreading between three Barringtonia asiatica fruits.
 It was a hazy day. A cruise ship sailing past the narrow water way of  Keppel Island

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve II - where is the other cave?

We missed out this one on last week trekking. Going  in for a closer look.
 What strikes me :  a bright light at the other end of the cave !!!


If you stood near the entrance you could pick up the dripping echoes from  the cave ceiling. A flashed shot revealed the many ripples ( the through entrance  is barely visible from this angle).

'Ants' marching up the buttress root..
A closer look reveled the 4-5 lane highway were stationed with peripheral 'guards'. From the pic the antennae of these guards  were not angled so could these be marching termites instead? Ant vs Termite diagram courtesy of the unknown author from the web ( reproduced below) [VIDEO here]

Rock Path .. a short but  interesting path
Looks like the one in SBG's rain forest path
005- first cave 007 2nd cave, 37.52 metre from the first cave.

South View Path to Cave Path to Catchment Path to Rock Path.
Take blue line to TAS VHF station and back




Saturday, October 09, 2010

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve walk

Look like two limbs ..
There are other more menacing looking steps else where. If possible walk on the side.
Singapore Quarry@Seraya Valley
A disused cement circular silos. Water?
Gall on leaf
Giant straight trunk of  Pulai ,Alsotonia sp.  Note the termite nest creating a black streamer up the tree.
YF walked round and found a fold in the fluted trunk that can hide two grown adults
Beginning of the South View Path you will came across to this rather
large and boa constrictor like liana vine. Wondering how the leaf look like?
A moth - note the two 'eye' at the rear end of the wing  'brownish'  edge 
on both the moth on top and the leaf insect's limbs below. Mimicry in nature.
The front left leg is missing... 3 on the right and only two on the right.
See how this insect walks normally video by Eva using Sony DSC-T90 
and my video below using Nikon P5100
X-sectioned of a log
We were attracted to the almost iridescent greenish lichen carpeted roots bathing in the morning sun.
Fungus that looked like calcified rock crystal.
Cave entrance on the side of Cave Path. If you are not observant you might walk straight pass it.
We missed the 'other' cave. 
You can hear the echo of water dripping onto the pool ( invisible) in the dark. A flash photography revealed the murky pool and i even caught two ripples. [ water was seeping through the roof!]  A trail of whitish streamer appeared to leach out from the interior. This is a granite cavern definitely man-made.

Claws  - close up of a spiny vine climber with stem as thick as my wrist.
Nice 'yellow'-sulphur  looking fungus.
Caterpillar shielding against the sun from the base of a leaf. You can barely seen a large black dot not far from the head. Another 'eye' design on body to frighten predators?
A 'heart' with an umbrella cover. Young leaves of Macaranga triloba
Red fungus appear on a damped wood. Focus on a protruding one.

Reflection from Hindhede Quarry not far from Visitor Centre

GPS log - so next trip will cover the minor few that we missed.


Visitor Centre no longer giving out the free pamphlets with the map. If you have half a day (4-5hrs) to burn you can cover all the tracks leisure walking and have time for photography. Most of the tracks are sheltered by foliage so heat or direct sun is NOT a problem.