Squirrels were common sight in SBG and other parks. In this visit I saw one with nut in the mouth trying to find a way to bury the 'treasure'. It went from trunk to trunk but did not manage to plant the nut. ( see left image).Then in another tree I saw this rather mature adult was holding leaf smelling and tracing the invisible scent left behind by a female(?). It was just less than 2 feet from me. Just two weeks ago I saw workmen putting up streamers with lovely pinkish red flowers of Antigonon leptopus, Chain of Love Climber on the roof top of outdoor 'hut'. I cant wait for the whole roof to be covered. The bright flowers are magnets for bees and butterflies. In my child hood time i ever dug out the deep rooted tuber and baked it. It smelt good ( read somewhere the tuber is edible too).If you know any craft man who can make silver bracelets of COL flowers please let me know. While the more conspicuous and accessible Ficus variegata, Red Stem-Fig fruits suffer many 'finger-nail' abuse, just a short distance away ( entrance to the Rain Forest) not far from the thorny rottan , the tiny orange, red smaller figs of Ficus grossulariodes were spared and untouched by human except the black ants.Walking on I spotted numerous fruits of the Cola gigantea,Giant Cola up in the tree. Picking out the lowest hanging fruits and standing on a bench I managed to capture the brownish yellow 'pouch' like palm size twin fruits.The rest of the morning was spent in the SBG Library. Revisiting the various exhibits - crafts made from nuts, fruits of various kind in sealed jars and silica gel. You heard about the penis sheath used by tribal males made from gourds. go and find yourself there. Experience first hand how plant pressed samples look like. Flip the example files of plant specimen - exotic trees, creepers....noticing how the twig, branches and heavy fruits were threaded down. If you pocket is deep enough , buy the plants book covering the flora in this regions. ( Sabah, Sarawak..) All the magazines look very new.
