My 3rd Visit to the Tampines Eco Green Nature Park

On a warm Saturday morning (1 Nov),  I decided to drop by Tampines Eco Green Park it was my third visit. The most promising spot in terms of butterfly activities was at the entrance where we could see a lot of Bidens flowers and String Bush (Cordia cylindristachya). Apart from many Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) butterflies, a few brown skippers were zipping around - one of them is the Pelopidas mathias mathias.
 

Another brown skipper had the tendency of open its wings as soon as it rested on a leaf.

The forewing spots could be seen in this shot.   

There were a few Telicota species flitting around me. As the veins are lightly darken, this particular shot looks like a female Telicota besta bina .

A solitary orange skipper  -  it might be the Common Palm Dart (Telicota colon stinga) was busy feeding on the Bidens flowers near the shelter.

A Potanthus species also came to visit the Sting Bush flowers.

There was only one Black Veined Tiger (Danaus melanippus hegesippus) fluttering around and feeding on the flowers. I observed that it would open and close its wings a few times whenever it changed its perch.  

I wasn't very interested in shooting the  Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica agleoides agleoides). But when it presented a nice pose in front of me, I could not resist taking some shots.

I was quite surprised at encountering two Anthene species at different times in the morning. This is the Pointed Ciliate Blue (A. lycaenina miya)            

A rather pristine Ciliate Blue (A. emolus goberus) visited the garden in the late morning. It stayed on the tip of a leaf above my eye level, demonstrating almost the same perch as what the Pointed Ciliate Blue did. It remained at the same position for quite a while before scooting off to look for nectar.    

This very large wasp was busy visiting flowers diligently. It showed us its acrobatic behaviour on the flowers but its agility and behaviour made it very difficult for me to take a proper shot.

This is a kind of hover fly. It was seen hovering in the mid air and nectaring at flowers.

A  hawk moth belongs to the Sphingidae species was spotted near the pond. 

Finally, a Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus teatus) was found on the same shrub as where the hawk moth was.

I was impressed by the number of butterfly species we could find in this town park. Let's hope that these flying jewels and other creatures would thrive and remain as the residents of the park.

Related post :  http://peacockroyal.blogspot.sg/2014/06/blooming-string-bushtampines-eco-green.html

Blooming String Bush@Tampines Eco Green Nature Park

A last minute decision on 13 May (Vesak Day) brought me to Tampines Eco Green Nature Park. It has been a long time since my last visit to this rather huge neighbourhood park.

Many Plain Tiger butterflies (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) were fluttering under the hot sun and "dancing in the wind" at the main entrance facing Tampines Ave 9.

Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya wallacei) butterflies were extremely skittish and alert. I was lucky to get a instinctive shot when one of them perched in front of me.

Quite a few critters were attracted to the many small white flowers of  the String Bush (Cordia cylindristachya). A critter with a triangular-shaped head and a reddish-orange elongated body, this is kind of net-winged beetle which was hooked on the flowers.

Many day-flying moths were competing with other critters for the nectar of these flowers.

Take a closer look at the this lycaenid - a Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubiosa lumpura) had become a prey for a white crab spider.

Taken from another angle, the crab spider could be seen more clearly.

A male Slate Flash (Rapala manea chozeba) was found feeding on these small flowers - an interesting posture with its legs folding close to its hindwing.

I quickly snapped a shot when it perched on a leaf after feeding. 

I remembered there was a colony of  Silverline butterflies about three years ago. After a long search, a lonely Long Banded Silverline (Spindasis lohita senama) was spotted feeding on the flowers.

A few Blue Glassy Tigers (Ideopsis vulgaris macrina) were also attracted to these tiny String Bush flowers.

The Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis lampa) was fluttering around a shelter when I took refuge from the hot morning sun.

The blooms of the String Bush injected so much life to the park. Other than the "dancing flowers" in the air, I could see many bees and wasps also. I am not sure what this wasp is,  having a pair of orange antennae.

A few skippers of spotted but they didn't seem to like the white flowers as much as the lycaenids.  This is the Bush Hopper (Ampittia dioscorides camertes) when it  rested high on a leaf.

Orange or brown skippers are always difficult for us to name them correctly with certainty - I guess this is a Potanthus ganda feeding on the Snakeweed (Stachytarpheta indica).  

Here is another shot taken when it used one of its antennae to "support' its body - an interesting moment being captured.

There were a few skippers zipping around with high speeds. Occasionally, once they perched at the right place at the right time, I might be able to snap a quick shot like this - a suspect of the Pelopodas mathias mathias due to the presence of a fading hindwing cell spot.

Another Small Banded Swift (Pelopidas mathias mathias) was found at the entrance.

The different types of natural habitat help to enrich the biodiversity of the park. Apart from butterflies, there were dragonflies, lizards and birds in the park that may surprise you. So, when you visit the park next time, slow down your pace and take a closer look at these fascinating creatures in nature.

Related blog articles:
1. http://www.butterflycircle.blogspot.sg/2012/12/favourite-nectaring-plants-2.html
2. http://mynatureexperiences.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/15-tampines-eco-green-park/
3. http://peacockroyal.blogspot.sg/2011/08/what-can-you-find-tampines-eco-green.html

48th National Day at Pasir Ris Park

My hope of visiting Pulau Ubin on our 48th Singapore National Day was crushed when I was shocked to see the queue for the bumboat ride snaking from the ferry embarking point to the road. My common sense told me to forgo Ubin. I eventually ended up at Pasir Ris Park (PRP).

I reached PRP around 10 am. Roaming on the mangrove boardwalk, I came to an observation tower where I saw a shrub growing with some strange-looking blue flowers. Knowing nothing about this weird plant, I just snapped a few shots out of curiosity. I think this is one of our native plants Nipis Kulit (Memecylon caeruleum )  in the Family Melastomataceae.  

While strolling along the boardwalk, I just could not find any terrestrial animal worth shooting. So I looked at the mudflat and saw quite a few crabs - this one just came out from the water.

Of course, the Kitchen Garden has always been one of my favourite spots at PRP for butterfly watching and photography. The Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) is everywhere but I didn't have much interest in chasing for a "perfect shot".  

This male was feeding on its larval host plant - Blood Flower (Asclepias currasavica). Of course mating pair is always a popular subject  for photographing.

I went round the boardwalk again but it was not a lucky day for me to bump into surprises. So I decided to call it a day and headed towards the MRT station. A consolation for me at least, I encountered a tattered Sumatran Sunbeam (Curetis saronis sumatrana) flitting around skittishly - a long distance shot was my initial prize for being patiently waiting for it to perch.

This open-winged shot was a result of my instinctive reaction - it scooted off as soon as I snapped it. 

Finally a sting bug (Pycanum rubens) hiding beneath a large Simpoh Air (Dillenia suffruticosa) gave me the last chance of the day to fire some shots. 

Dancing in the Wind @ Pasir Ris Park Part 2

Continue from my previous post.

Apart from the the Euploea species which really attracted the audience's attention especially the King Crows (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui), our main "dancers" around the flowering Syzygium tree, other butterflies also joined in the fun of "performing" and contributing to the excietment of a very dynamic "stage".

At least three Painted Jezebel ( Delias hyparete metarete ) were fluttering at the tree top which is their usual habit.
Between moments of chasing and frolicking amongst themselves, occasionally they would come down to the eye level to feed - this would be the best opportunity to snap a shot of a very alert and active species. Here is a lucky shot of a male.

There were quite a few Blue Glassy Tiger (Ideopsis vulgaris macrina) feeding furiously.

I wasn't too keen shooting the "Tigers" . As a result, I noticed that this was the only shot on the Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica agleoides agleoides) which was quite abundant.

This is a female Baron (Euthalia aconthea gurda) feeding very tamely - she just refused to come down.

There were other smaller butterflies enjoying the "buffet lunch" on the tree. A solitary Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe contubernalis) displayed how it could balance in the air while feeding.

This rather tame Copper Flash (Rapala pheretima sequeira) stayed on the flowers for a long time. In fact, I could see at least three of them "gluing" to the flowers high up in the tree.

When I was about to leave in the afternoon, a Black Veined Tiger (Danaus melanippus hegesippus) showed up but it was too shy to come down for me to take a better shot.

In fact, many other critters such as bees, wasps, beetles on the swaying flowers and skippers zipping in and out with lighting speeds in the wind added lots of excitement and awe to the "life performance". For those who have missed the spectacular scene, take note of any flowering trees in the park next time, you may find a new "stage" soon. But having a stage is not enough, we need a good number of different performers, big or small to put up a grand and memorable show.