Flora and Fauna of Tampines Eco Green Park

It has been more than 3 years since my last visit to this nice and wild place in the northern part of Tampines town. Yes, I am referring to the Tampines Eco Green. After coming back to home for good last July, I had visited the park twice. 

I noticed that the shrubs at the south entrance have grown a lot taller and the number of butterflies have dwindled quite a bit - perhaps due to the construction work currently going on along Sungei Tampines.

As usual, many Plain Tiger butterflies (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) were there to welcome me on both occasions. Yes, with the host plant, the Crown Flower (Calatropis gigantea) doing well, we are bound to see this elegant butterfly fluttering around. 

A female was ovipositing her eggs

After taking a shot of the flower buds, I noticed that a critter was lurking nearby, waiting to strike any Plain Tiger going there to lay eggs?

A close-up shot of the spider - I wonder what this is?

Besides the Plain Tiger, I encountered a few other butterflies. One of them was this very alert and skittish male Common Tiger (Danaus genutia genutia).

To fully appreciate nature and be able to see some small but interesting critters, we need to slow down and look around without any other interfering thoughts in our mind. 

These small creatures can be spotted quite easily if we pay a bit attention to our surroundings. This is the Bush Hopper (Ampittia dioscorides camertes), a small skipper resting on a blade of grass.  

Same pose - but I moved a few steps away from it. 

Another specimen showed its upperside wings.

A very small nymph of a katydid was feeding on the Coat Buttons flower (Tridax procumbens). 

This tiny and beautiful Ricaniid planthopper (Ricanula stigmatica) is quite common in grasslands. But you will miss it, if you don't stop and look around. 

A few male Potanthus species were "chasing and fighting" before they settled down on a leaf surface with wings open - so I had no chance of taking an underside shot to identify them.

A different male specimen displayed the same behavior of opening its wings immediately when it perched.

A poor skipper, a Telicota species I believed was trapped in a spider web. While it was struggling to flee itself, I was thinking should I offer a helping hand. At the end, I didn't.  

The Long Banded Silverline (Spindasis lohita senama) is one of the star butterfly species that many of us would love to shoot. 

Another more pristine specimen.

Unlike many other urban parks in SG, the Tampines Eco Green integrates much of the original natural and wild grassland and woodland habitats as the main concept of this huge natural park in Tampines town. Apart from many interesting critters that have established their home there, numerous attractive wild flowers were abundant too.

A pair of Moring Glory (Ipomoea cairica) flowers captured my attention for photographing. 

This small yellow flower is nice and attractive. 

Before the south entrance, a few bushy shrub with many attractive flowers stood out and aught my attention - I believe these are the flowers of the Kopsia fruticose.

I watched with a great worry for the waterhen as it didn't seem to know that the Malayan water monitor (Varanus salvator) was quite close to him.

Tampines Eco Green Park Again

With a home visit to a BC member on 31 Jan in mind in the afternoon, I decided to drop by the Tampines Eco Green Park again in the morning.

As usual it was a great enjoyment to watch many Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) butterflies dancing high and low in the wind, visiting and feeding on flowers in a sunny and windy morning. With the abundance of the Plain Tiger's larval host plant, the Calotropis gigantea growing very well at the south entrance, the Plain Tiger butterfly should be there all year round to welcome us.

I was more interested in shooting this Common Tit (Hypolycaena erylus teatus) when I spotted it resting on the tip of a leaf  just above my head.

Quite a number of the lycaenids that I encountered were rather tattered. A worn-out Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus maxentius) was showing off its scintillating blue uppersides in flight but I wasn't keen on snapping more shots.

I haven't got the luck to photograph a pristine Club Silverline (Spindasis syama terana) for a long time. Sorry that I had to ignore you after taking a few shots.

With the presence of the black spot in space 7 of the hindwing, it is easy to identify this as the Pointed Ciliat Blue (Anthene lycaenina miya). A diligent fellow which kept foraging among the String Bush flowers. 

At last I shot a more pristine lycaenid - a Slate Flash (Rapala manea chozeba) which came down to rest after I "disrupted" from its excessive feeding on some some flowers above me.

Another better specimen - this may be a Copper Flash (Rapala pheretima sequeira) which looks rather similar to the the Slate Flash. 

I was curious to find out what this small lycaenid was when it fed on some String Bush flowers high above me. It turned out to be the Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubuiosa )

The Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica agleoides agleoides) was quite abundant too. When it presented a good shooting opportunity for me, I would oblign to shoot it.

A close resemblance to the Black Veined Tiger (Danaus melanippus hegesippus), this white form of the Common Tiger (Danaus genutia genutia) presented me with a good pose for some quick shots.

Here is another shot.

I didn't find many skippers in this outing session. This is the only one - a rather active Telicota species (likely to be the T. besta bina) that I managed to take a few shots. 

This jumper spider was playing hide-and-seek with me - it was about to hide under the leaf.  I was amazed by its ability to sense my movement. 

Today is the second day of a new year on the lunar calender - wishing everyone having a prosperous, fruitful and most importantly good health in the Year of the Goat. 

Especially, I would pray that my wish for Common Rose will come true -  wishing him a speedy and a full recovery from a stroke that he has suffered more than a year ago. 加油 CM，you have made tremendous progress - a slow rehabilitation process but surely you will get better and better.

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

What Can You Find @ Tampines Eco Green Park ?

The Tampines Eco Green Park (TEGP) is situated in Tampines Town at the north-eastern part of the island. Occupying a large area close to 36.5-ha, it is bounded by Tampines Expressway, Tampines Avenue 12 and Sungei Tampines canal. My first visit to the park was on a sunny Saturday morning on 23 July.

Alighting at the Tampines train station, I followed the the direction of the rail track, heading towards the Sun Plaza Park and TEGP is just opposite the Sun Plaza Park.

This Black Veined Tiger (Danaus melanippus hegesippus) was found perching in the shade at a distance away.

You are likely to get attracted by the strikingly red flower buds of the Leea rubra (Family : Vitaceae) shrubs in the park. A very informative write-up on this shrub can be found in the online journal Nature in Singapore.

Many insects loved to visit the tiny flowers - one of them was this Club Silverline (Spindasis syama terana) which spent more than an hour feeding on the flowers.

A rather haggard Common Grass Yellow (Eurema hecabe contubernalis) also loved to feed on the tiny flower.

Some green fruits on this Leea rubra shrub on the foreground of this shot and the digger wasp (?) create a bit more variations in terms of composition compared to previous two shots.

There were a few Dark Glassy Tiger (Parantica agleoides agleoides) butterflies fluttering in the park. I noticed this guy particularly liked the flowers of a grass.

This is another Dark Glassy Tiger feeding on the white flower of Muntingia calabura (Cherry Tree).

On the same tree, there was this small Tailless Line Blue (Prosotas dubiosa lumpura) which preferred to stay high up on the leaf eyeing on the flower.

Many Pea Blue (Lampides boeticus) were flitting around because of its host plant - a crotalaria species was rather abundant there.

This bee which looks like a Apis dorsata kept visiting the yellow flowers of the Aquatic Sensitive Plant (Neptunia plena). This park was designed with the concept of preserving the natural environment and wasteland habitat - the wild flowers reminded me of the Pungol wasteland I used to visit.

The highlight of this outing was shooting this lycaenid, Peacock Royal (Tajuria cippus maxentius) which made me stand under the hot sun for more than 20 minutes.

A very uncooperative fellow which either stayed high on the tree or hid behind some branches or leaves. On my way back to the entrance, I was lucky to spot this beauty, a Long-banded Silverline (Spindasis lohita senama ) at the forested area.

This female Striped Albatross (Appias libythea olferna) was feeding on the flower of its hostplant - Purple Cleome (Cleome rutidosperma).

A good garden or a park should integrate a water ecosystem that allows aquatic life to thrive in. Indeed, I could see quite a number of dragonfly species darting around the pond. This was one of the species I managed to capture.

Apart from the 9 different butterfly species that I showed here, other butterflies I encountered were Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus), Tawny Coster (Acraea violae), a Flash, Bush Browns and a few orange skippers. TEGP definitely has a lot to offer to nature lovers and photographers.