After a 30 minute walk from Cashew MRT (including us getting lost along the way), my friend and I reached Chestnut Nature Park to meet up with the rest of the group. After a short introduction and briefing, we begin our walk. Near the entrance of the nature park we saw a strangling fig tree, which despite how it looks was actually 1 tree and not multiple trees. Our guild Vilma explained that the “trunks” of the tree was actually roots from the main tree reaching down to the forest floor and grew thicker as they absorbed water and nutrients from the ground. During our walk, we managed to spot some strangling fig trees that had “consumed” other trees and killed them by taking all the nutrients on the ground and blocking most of the sunlight.

Shortly after, we came across a jack fruit tree and saw a squirrel scurry up the tree to eat the jack fruit. While looking at the squirrel, Vilma mentions that jack fruit trees are not native to Singapore and are usually a tree grown to earn some money (cash crop) in the past, and that Chestnut Nature Park used to be a kampong. We find more evidence of that through the walk as we spotted shattered tile and pottery on the ground and other non-native plant species such as the oil palm tree (another cash crop planted during the kampong days).

We were extremely fortunate to see many of wildlife that Vilma mentioned at the start of the walk. Before starting the walk at Chestnut Point, we saw a troop of long tailed macaques rushing towards a group of people who were having their breakfast and we were told sternly to keep any lose hanging items in our bags. Further into our walk, we managed to spot 2 colugas having a nap on tree trunks! (at different locations) Did you know that they do not have eyelids and sleep with their eyes open?

We also saw a clouded monitor lizard, sun slink, emerald dove and even a mouse deer which dashed away after spotting us.

All in all, I had a fun time at Chestnut Nature Park learning about wildlife. It is a beautiful place teeming with wildlife (especially insects) and I will definitely be visiting again!