Singapore Rhododendron

The name Melastoma means "black mouth" in Greek. It refers to the seeds, which can stain the tongue black if eaten!

Stripes in the WILD

Tiger is my sis's favourite.....But I feel like writing about it. This is for Leshane!

The Cheng Tng Tree

The tree behind this plant is the so-called Cheng Tng tree or Scaphium macropodum .

The fruit of the tree is edible. In Hokkien, we call it 'Pong dua hi'....sounds familiar!!!

Reforestion at Lower Pierce in March 2006

It was my 3rd time doing the reforestation.....I like it alot.I met many new friends.

The CJC 老师和姐姐们，NTU Earthlink 的哥哥和姐姐们， Shuang Lin Shi 的 Uncle and Aunties 们 和 other Aunties and Uncles 们，were very friendly and helpful.

I can only name some people I know, like Shon姐姐 and Auntie Mandy, for the rest...sorry, couldn't remember! HEh!!!

Yummy in my pitcher!!!

Pitcher Plants

Pitcher plants are found in South Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Western New Guinea. They are also called Monkey Cup. In Mandarin, they are known as 猪笼草。

Pitchers contain liquid. When insects and small animals like lizards come to drink the nectar at the mouth of the pitcher, they fall in and are drowned. The plant juices then absorb them.

Carnivorous plants usually live in nitrogen poor soils.

The inside of the tubular shaped leaf is lined with downward pointing hairs. These hairs block an insect from climbing up the tube and escaping.

My Reforestion Experiences

http://www.flickr.com/photos/partofnature/sets/72057594061122505/

Actually my 1st reforestion was at Bukit Timah Natural Reserve, it was a wonderful experience! At Lower Peirce was my 2nd try, quite different but very fun too!
Being a Central Nature Volunteer is really an eye opening experience for me.

Tiger With Leaves

The Tiger Orchid is the largest known orchid in the world.
It can amass a weight of nearly 2 tonnes.

The inflorescence can reach height of 2m.

It is extinct in Singapore.

The Bamboo plant

This is what we usually eat, '竹笋' !

Pedada

The young fruit is used for flavouring chutneys and curries.
The fruits can used as medicine.

INTRODUCING, THE ANTS HDB FLAT

NAME: Macaranga bancana

This plant is a home to ants named Crematogaster borneensis.

The ants live inside the hollow stems.

They also protect the plant from caterpillars.

These are the chestnuts, those that we always eat. Chinese call them 'Gao Luk'. Yummy ....my favourite!
This is the magnificent Quarry at Hindede Park. What a view !
The wood from this plant is used to make pencils, e.g. Faber-Castell. The latex from this plant can also used to make golf balls.

The Plant of the Day ! (Simpoh Ayer or Simpoh Air)

This plant's flowers are edible.The special thing about this useful plant is that the leaves can be used to wrap food and can also be used by tailor birds to make nests.Do you know how Simpoh Ayer got its name?

Ans:As it lives near water,that is why the malay word Ayer means water.

Young Naturalist Passport (YNP) Camp

Today, I went to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for YNP camp. I had planted a mangrove plant, it was my 1st hands-on experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!We also played a very interesting nature detective game. The bad thing was my group had lost the game. It's okay, only a game , 没关系!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a joyous day!! I benifited alot from this camp.