Before Rain @ Seleter Wasteland

Just like many other Saturday mornings, choosing a place for my weekend outing was, often than not, a last minute decision and sometimes depending on what bus came first. I ended up at Seletar around 10 am on the last Saturday in June.

It has been quite sometime since my last visit here; not many changes except there were some fallen tree branches and taller grasses blocking my way. I saw quite a number of Junonia almana javana (Peacock Pansy) enjoying the morning warmth. Though I have shot this species many times, I still could not resist shooting this pristine individual, perching elegantly but momentarily on a grass blade under the sun.Quite often, I encountered Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites atlites) here, the rarest of the four Pansy butterflies that we can find in Singapore. This was a rather skittish bugger which allowed me to snap a record shot only.

This wild orchid Spathoglottis plicata was growing very well in this wasteland habitat. Standing out prominently among the green foliage, you would not miss these attractive purple flowers. I am not sure why the ants and leaf beetles had a strong affinity to these flowers. Perhaps, next time I should take a closer look at the flowers or even taste them. Grasshopper belongs to the insect order Orthoptera. This grasshopper had a rather unique colour combination. It seemed that it was enjoying a meal, not sure what it was.

The white flower of Passiflora foetida is certainly very showy and interesting. This time round, I saw many flowers and fruits. Soon this invasive climber will attract more Leopard Lacewing and Tawny Coster butterflies to come here to lay eggs, thus curbing the excessive growth of this plant. This is how nature maintains an ecological balance between different species.

The weather was rather erratic. I was perspiring profusely under the scorching hot sun just an hour ago. The sky suddenly turned cloudy with gutsy wind howling in my ears. I knew a thunder storm was imminent. In the haste of a quick withdrawal, I stumbled over a medium-sized orange skipper, a Telicota species I believe. It was see-sawing on the leaves of Neptunia plena. I just fired rapidly with different speeds, hoping to get a decent shot. The moment I sensed that rain drops falling down, I doubled up my pace to the bus stop where I packed my shooting gears carefully and prepared to head for Bah Soon Pah Road for my lunch. I wondered would the skipper remain there enjoying the natural shower.