Punggol Wasteland 31 Dec 2008

This huge plot of wasteland in Punggol which is situated diagonally opposite the Coney Island is soon going to be developed into a residential area with waterfront recreational facilities as part of the "Punggol 21 Plus" project.

It is a matter of time this place would fill with dusts and mud once the massive excavation and construction work start. I hope in the next few months, I have time to capture more fauna and flora on photos before this place goes into oblivion.

An overcast afternoon on 31 Dec 2008, the last day of a disasters-filled year, before going to my in-law's place, I dropped by there to check out this habitat of a Yellow butterfly (please read on to find out). I was relievd to see that nothing has been destroyed since my last visit more than a month ago.

I stopped at the usual entrance point, hoping to spot at least one of the Silverline butterflies putting up an afternoon open-winged show. But today these little beauties didn't appear at all. I guessed the weather was not conducive for a show. Along the way in, I was greeted with some common butterfly species such as Common Grass Yellow, Orange Emigrant, Nigger, Bush Brown and orange skippers.

Here are two species of dragonfly I spotted. This relatively large Orthetrum sabina is a rather common speices. You could easily see a few of them.

The next DF is suspected to be Trithemis pallidinervis (the correct id is Diplacodes trivialis, a female invidual pointed out by Ian, thanks) smaller than the above. It has the the habit of resting on the sandy ground and perching at a low level. A mimosa look-alike shrub with yellow flowers will definitely catch your eyes in this particular patch of sandy grassland. These are Cassia mimosoides ( Chamaecrista mimosoides, Fabaceae). This is the larval host plant of the speices Eurema brigitta senna (No Brand Grass Yellow). ButterflyCircle's blog has a marvellous write-up on this species.

I will feature more fauna and floral shots next time if I spend more time there shooting.

The above picture is a shot of a small green beauty, a planthopper I believe. Sorry, I have no reference at hand to identify this - I appreciate your help.