Monday, August 23, 2010

Big Durian

Call me ignorant, but I didn’t know that durian trees (Durio zibethinus) can grow so big! This one was about 25m tall!

45192_422190516125_566546125_5338899_5558337_n 
Thanks to Hazel for the photo of me with the durian tree taken in Punggol.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Ixora and Butts

Honestly, I didn’t know that our cultivated Ixora attracted so many butterflies. Perhaps it is because I never really take note of butts till recently.

Here are some pictures of them taken around the same time and place in Punggol.

4888692942_938d554e5d_z

Peacock Pansy.

4888053726_5035899cd2_b

The more common Chocolate Pansy stuffing its proboscis on the opening of the coralla tube.

4888087216_18a63ab1b7_z

Ciliate Blue.

P1000644 
Common Tit.

4888087190_45169d42c0_b  
A skipper, possibly a Great Swift.

P1000646
Another of the same species.

P1000669 
This Lemon Emigrant was the most difficult to take, fluttering away whenever I came close. Luckily, after awhile it seemed to get used to me and I was able to get some decent shots.

P1000679
Probably a Short-Banded Sailor. It even tried to drink from the flower buds.

P1000654

I wonder what this fly is doing. It obviously can’t reach the nectar deep in the flower without a long proboscis like the butterflies.

Besides butterflies and flies, there were also a lot of wasp-like insects flying around. Perhaps they prey on the butts?

Thanks to Mr Peacock Royal for his help in ID. :)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Fruit eating larvae in Elaeocarpus

This is a continuation from my previous trip to CCNR.

I couldn’t managed to ID this presumably a fruiting Elaeocarpus tree.

Here are the leaves.


Underside.

A developing fruit with bumps. I initially thought that this is Elaeocarpus nitidus, but can’t confirm it since the fruit size is too small to what Corner described.
  P1000451
KY and WF harvested the fruit again on the weekend. The fruits have grown much larger and seem to fit E. nitidus. However, it is supposed to have 5 seeds and this, one, appeared to have 3 chambers. The seeds are not yet developed to make a confirmation. Hmm, what could this be? Help?

P1000454
While slicing open one of the fruits, KY (and me) jumped away in shock when he saw a big larvae inside.

P1000457 
Apparnetly most of the fruits were infested with this caterpillar? which ate a chamber that fits almost exactly to their size. Wonder what it will grow up to be?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...