Garden in M’sia (Day 179: 11/03/2018)

March 16, 2018 Bizarre looking mushrooms. Cyathus sp., known as bird's nest fungi, are just one of many species of fungi that are integral to a healthy ecosystem. Previously Day 164 Lush, colourful natural growth, the result of plentiful water balanced by copious sunlight, was the view I was rewarded with when I first set foot …

Garden in M’sia (Day 164: 24-02-2018)

February 27, 2018 The presence of these little buggers (Trigoniulus corallinus; rusty millipede) signify high moisture. Thank you, rain! Previously Day 157-158 Apparently my prayers from the previous week were answered. The rainy and cloudy weather the day before and on Day 164 provided a much needed reprieve from the melting heat that had tormented …

Garden in M’sia (Days 157-158: 17/02/2018-18/02/2018)

February 23, 2018  PRAY for rain! Previously Day 136  What can seemingly endless scorching hot and dry weather do to a garden? Well, I caught a glimpse of the parched results in my most recent visit to the Malaysian garden. Aside from the more established heat-tolerant plants, the garden was not doing too good. Large …

Garden in M’sia (Day 136: 27-01-2018)

January 28, 2018 Above: Shroom in the garden. An extra touch of diversity. Previously Day 85 Man, a whole lot happened the (nearly) 2 months I was gone. Updates between Day 85 (07-12-2017) and Day 136 -First batch of cover crops (Vigna radiata, Vigna unguiculata and Glycine max) completely died off, leaving the land quite desolate and bare. -Sunflowers were …

Insect Orders (3): Bugs (Hemiptera)

January 21, 2018   Above: Hemipterans have very diverse body forms and many can be easily mistaken for other insect groups by the layman, such as the two Ricaniid hoppers above, which are often misidentified as moths.   Introduction True bugs, or Hemipterans, are common insects with a cosmopolitan distribution. Hemiptera means "half-wing", a trait notable …

Best of 2017: Top 10 Photos

January 1, 2018 Here is my personal list of favourite photographs that I took throughout the arduous but fun year of 2017. Honourable mentions White Butterfly Pea (Clitoria ternatea). Taken on: 02/12/2017 @ Johor Bahru, Malaysia Burmese Lynx Spider (Oxyopes birmanicus). Taken on: 26/06/2017 @ Yishun, Singapore Cultivated Red Rose (Rosa sp.). Taken on: 07/12/2017 …

Insect Orders (2): Moths and Butterflies (Lepidoptera)

December 31, 2017 Above: Many butterflies have pretty odd names, such as this Peacock Pansy, Junonia almana javana. Introduction On a sunny morning, it is not uncommon to spot fluttering butterflies soak up the morning sun and seek nectar from flowers. Their bright colours, along with their graceful and deliberate movements, endear themselves to many humans, …

Insect Orders (1): Beetles (Coleoptera)

December 24, 2017  Above: Stenotarsus pardalis, a fine looking fungus beetle that looks like a ladybird (Batesian mimicry at work).  Introduction Beetles, the most speciose order of animals there is, are known scientifically as Coleoptera, which translates to sheathed wings. This owes to the fact that beetles have hardened fore wings, which are known as elytra (singular: …

Garden in M’sia (Day 85: 07-12-2017)

December 10, 2017 Above: There were plenty of these jewels (Cheilomenes sexmaculata ladybugs) to brighten up the otherwise pretty dull garden. Previously Day 80 This will be a short entry, due to the rather short gap between my previous visit and the most recent visit. In 5 days, nothing much really changed, the bean cover crops …

Garden in M’sia (Day 80)

December 3, 2017  Above: Looks like a blue rose. (Clitoria ternatea, double petalled variety) Previously Day 59 Updates between Day 59 and Day 80 (02-12-2017) -Got cuttings of Longevity spinach (Gynura procumbens) and Indian Borage (Plectranthus amboinicus) -Got seeds of Sessile joyweed (Alternanthera sessilis), Marigold (Tagetes sp.), Cosmos (Cosmos sp.), Cat's whiskers (Orthosiphon aristatus) and …