Hiking From Wun Yiu (碗窰路) to Shing Mun Reservoir (城門水塘), Hong Kong

Though a rather hot Saturday morning on 10 June, I decided to go for a long hike on my own. After having a heavy breakfast at  Tai Po Market MTR station, I boarded a 23K mini-bus bringing me to its terminal station at Wun Yiu Road 碗窰路.  

Before heading towards  the Wilson Trail Section 7, I detoured to Yuen Tun Ha (元墩下), a popular butterfly-hunting ground. Except for a colony of the Euploea midamus midamus (Blue Spotted Crow) and Ideopsis similis similis , I could not find any other less common butterflies.

While going further into the foresed area, I encountered a solidary Tree Flitter (Hyarotis adrastus praba)

Realising that the butterfly activities were rather disappointing, I decided to head towards to Shing Mun Reservoir(城門水塘), via Wilson Trail Setion 7  towards the direction of the Lead Mine Pass.

 The trail begins with cement steps going up hill gradually.

     

After climbing a few hundreds of steps, the terrain becomes rather rocky.

I spotted a few small lycaenids flitting erractically amongst  a clump of  tall and shady bamboos at the beginning part of the Wilson Trail.

I waited patiently and was rewarded with a few shots of  this Taraka Hamada .

Continued walking leisurelly, I encountered a few damselflies.

A few meters before reaching the Lead Mine Pass, I stumbled upon a green and slender snake slithering across the dirt track.  

 The Lead Mine Pass is not only a nice and serene campsite area.

It is also an ideal and a necessary resting point for hikers before they start their final ascent to conquer the  highest mountain of Hong Kong, the Tai Mo Shan via the  Maclehose trail stage 8.

Apart from heading north to the highest mountain, there are three other different routes leading to three different places.

I followed  my original plan, heading towards Tsuen Wan and  Shing Mum Reservoir.

I could not help but spending some time to savour this beautiful scene of tranquility.

At the Shing Mun Reservoir, there was a group of Graphiums puddling on the moist sandy ground. I only managed to take a hasty shot of a very skittish Graphium cloanthus clymenus.

There were some Tigers congreting on the ground and on flowers too. This is a Blue Tiger (Tirumala limiace)

It was an easy and pleasant walk along the paved road towards the reservoir -  the shade provided by the gigantic trees help to shield off the afternoon sun.

This Rapala manea had a short perch - it scooted off when I was adjusting myself to compose a different shot. 

Cypha erymanthis erymanthis is a very common butterfly in Hong Kong but getting a good shot of it is difficult - because it is an extremely alert species and never stay still on the ground.

On the contrary, this Chestnut Angle (Odonatoptilum angulata angulatum ) was rather tame and it rested on a fern for a while.

Though the butterfly garden is not very big,  the wild flowers there did attract some Blue Spotted Crows (Euploea midamus midamus).

I like the infornation board on the life cycle of the White Dragontail (Lamproptera curius walkeri).

Nearer to the entrance, there is another butterfly garden. 

The upperside of a Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepis puspa gisca) was my only shot in this garden.

Opposite this garden is the entrance to the Lung Mun Country Trail  where I spotted a puddling Paris Peacock (Papilio paris).

I am not sure what this small creature is - may be a nymp of  a bug?

This planthopper, a Ricania species seems to be very common in the past few weeks.

It was a long but a very enjoyable and fruitful hike for me.

Reservoir Edge Opposite Sembawang Park Connector

The thunderstorms followed by intermittent passing showers on Saturday 17 May lasted the whole morning. In the late afternoon around 3 pm, the sun started to warm the ground. So, I decided heading out to Mandai, opposite the Sembawang Park Connector. 

My first shot of the afternoon at the reservoir edge was a pink critter, perhaps a nymph of  a shield bug. It was found on a Singapore Rhododendron leaf.

A rather common but colourful and attractive shield bug was seen at the same location before. In fact, I could find more of this bug when I search around the plants carefully.

I am not sure if this damselfly is Onychargia atrocyana which perched at the tip of a blade of grass.

The Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra agina) tends to be very skittish and sensitive to movement. However when it was feeding, we might have a chance to take a few shots.

A female Malay Baron (Euthalia monina monina) was at rest in the late afternoon under a shady spot.

A Malay Viscount (Tanaecia pelea pelea) was flitting around before settling down on a leaf of the Singapore Rhododendron.

I am not sure if this is a kind of Ricaniid planthopper. It was turning its wings up and down while I was taking this shot.

A Few Other Critters in Langkawi

Continue from the previous post.

Apart from the many butterflies that I have featured in my last few posts, I was also attracted to some other critters especially when they presented good shooting opportunities for me. This white moth (I have no idea of what the species is) was abundant at Lubuk Semilang.

The way it perched on a twig allowed me to photograph its undersides as well.

I guessed this was its pupa

A "armour-clad" critter was found on a fallen tree trunk - it looks like a larva of  a kind of Trilobite beetle.  

I can't remember if I have seen this beautiful red bug - its prominent perch on a leaf attracted by attention. 

There were many  Flashwing dragonflies (Vestalis sp) found along the forest trail at Lubuh Semilang.

 

I saw a critter flying past me and landing on a stem.

I went closer and took some shots - I guess this is a kind of planthopper.

A spider stayed very still on a leaf - waiting for its prey to come close to its striking distance. 

This moth larva was wriggling on the leaf aimlessly - it might be looking for the correct plant.

This long-legged, small but brilliantly coloured insect was new to me - this is a kind of fly I guess.  

As I focused a lot more on butterfly species in this trip, I believe I have missed many interesting critters. I may visit Langkawi again at the end of this year to discover and photography its rich flora and fauna.A Few 

No New Surpirse @ Bukit Brown

On a fine Saturday afternoon (24 Sept), I decided to drop by the Bukit Brown cemetery ground again. At the main gate, I noticed this rather tame and small cricket resting on a leaf.

At the round-about, this white planthopper flew past me and perched above my eye level. I walked casually towards the location where I found the Banded Line Blue (Prosotas lutea sivoka) last December. Sadly, I could not find a single specimen this time. 

A small lycaenid, this Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubiosa lumpura) was fluttering at the ground level. Its momentarily perch on a piece of wood provided me a chance for snapping some shots. 

A mating Malayan Five Ring (Ypthima horsfieldii humei) kept me busy for a short while along a shady and mosquitoes infested forest trail.  

My first sighting of a Common Posy (Drupadia ravindra moorei) at Bukit Brown was at a shady spot along a dirt path.

It was flitting around from leaf to leaf and sun-bathing occasionally.

My final shot of the afternoon was a  robberfly. I noticed that robberflies like to perch on the tip of a leaf looking outwards demonstrated by this particular shot.

Very soon once the construction of a new road commences, I doubt we will be able to visit Bukit Brown as often as we like. So it is important that we should record the fauna and floral species that can be found here before they disappear completely.