From UPR to USR

Though it was a long and slow walk to the Upper Peirce Reservoir (UPR) Park on a fine Saturday morning, I didn't have good opportunities to take many winged critters along the way. However, I still enjoyed the outing - one way of exercising and recharging my body and mind.

This dark brown skipper with unmarked underside hindwings and 2 cell spots on the underside forewing looks like a Full Stop Swift (Caltoris cormasa). This skipper did not seem to perch with an open wing whenever it landed.

The forest floor was rather damp and I could see many fungi proliferating on fallen tree branches or dead wood. The prominent red "ring" on this bracket fungus attracted my attention. I think this is a type of jelly-like fungus which looks really soft, growing below a dead tree trunk.
Another type of bracket fungus which was really thriving on a big fallen tree trunk.

This "ugly" critter looks like a 3rd instar Commander (Moduza procris milonia) larva crawling on the midrib of a leaf. If anyone could ensure the caterpillar remain at the same place a few more days, I would have gone back there to find out what the adult butterfly it will be. The larval host plant looks like an Uncaria species. The caterpillar consumed the leaf in a very neat manner leaving the midrib of the leaf intact as shown in the picture.
At last I met another butterfly, a Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca) was hopping around and playing hide-and-seek with me.
I believe this is a kind of fly resting on an interesting leaf surface - I could not remember what leaf it was.
I finally reached UPR and I bumped into BJ there - what an coincidence. It was a very quiet day at UPR so we decided to head to USR.

This is the upperside of a female Common Posy (Drupadia theda thesmia) - it has the habit of opening its wings almost instantly whenever it perched on a sunlit spot in the early afternoon at USR.
At one shady spot, we encountered at least two different species of Arhopalas flitting around. I could only get this record shot of a small tailless Arhopala species which I have no idea of what it is at the moment.
As it was quite late and the sound of protest of my hungry stomach was getting louder, we couldn't spend more time at USR. Thanks BJ for giving me a ride back to BSP after lunch at our usual food stall - just before a heavy downpour.

Finally, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a fruitful 2011.