Flora and Fauna@Toa Payoh Sensory Park (Part 1)

A 1.1 hectare neighbourhood park, Toa Payoh Sensory Park is first of its kind in Singapore. It was constructed at a cost of $3.5 million dollars by the Housing Development Board (HDB) (see here). The location and layout plan is shown below.

This specially designed park is equipped with facilities for all ages : jogging track, playground, exercise corners and a sensory garden to rejuvenate our five senses. Someone has posted a video on Youtube (See here).

Among many flowers we can find in this park, these two varieties of Passiflora flowers are my favorites - they are simply gorgeous and magnificent when they are in full bloom.

Apart from the many different varieties of colourful and showy flowers in the park, I could see many honey bees (Apis cerana ? ) buzzing around. These bees were visiting flowers and collecting pollens diligently. Do you know these flowers ?

Leave the bees alone and just watch them at work, they are not aggressive and certainly not a threat to human beings at all.

Here is a shot of another bee species collecting pollens from the flowers of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) which were abundant in the Sensory Garden.

One good thing about this Sensory Garden is that we can learn the names of all the herbs and culinary plants grown here.

This Stainer bug (Dysdercus cingulatus ?) was seen on the leaves of Lady's Finger (Abelmoschus esculentus). Not sure if it has eaten up the leaves.

I got a glimpse of its underside as well.

Guess what flower it is. I was lucky to encounter this light yellow showy Lady's Finger flower.

During my third visit there in two weeks since its openning in early August, I began to see more insect species. This day-flying moth was resting at a high angle, offering me a unique opportunity for shooting its underside.

In Part 2, I will feature other flora and fauna that can be found in this wonderful neighbourhood park.