The first walk I signed up for was the Guided Walk at Chestnut Nature Park. I had only ever been there once before and it was a very long time ago, so I was really excited about the walk.
On the day of the walk, we gathered at Chestnut Point. We had a short round of self-introduction, and the guides explained that since it had just rained, we were unlikely to see many reptiles on our walk (much to my relief).
When we first started on the trail, I realised that it was all dirt track, which made me a little uneasy because I was afraid that there would be a lot of mosquitoes. However, at our first “stop”, we were all getting bitten not by mosquitoes, but by ants. We were either standing on an ant trail or ant nest haha.
Throughout the trail, I was too busy looking at the ground and watching my step to really take in the nature around me. However, our guides had really keen eyes and spotted so many interesting finds!
For me, there were two main highlights of the walk: a mouse deer and a colugo! I had never seen either of them in the wild before, so needless to say, I was absolutely delighted to see them in real life on our walk. They were both so adorable and none of us could stop admiring them! Both of them blended in with their surroundings so well!
The colugo was the same colour as the tree bark!Close-up of the cute little fellow! (Photo creds our guides)The mouse deer was also brown, blending in with the leaf litter!
One interesting thing I learnt from the guides was that there is only one species of wasp that pollinates each species of fig. This means that when that species of wasp goes extinct, the fig species will also disappear. Another thing I learnt was that female wasps would squeeze into tiny holes at the bottom of the fig, and in so doing, would lose their wings because of how small the holes are. Then, the female wasps would lay their eggs in the fig. When the eggs hatch, the male and female wasps would mate. But the male wasps are born blind and without wings, so their only purpose is to mate. Talk about sacrifice!
The extremely tiny hole on the fig that the female wasp would squeeze into.
Overall, the walk was really fun and eye-opening! I learnt a great deal of things, including how to appreciate nature!
Other Pictures!
A Forest Ant (rather huge)Us enjoying the walk!Durian!
When I first arrived for the night walk, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I was hoping to see some animals like colugos, palm civet cats and maybe some snakes. At the same time, I was afraid to see any snakes – contradictory, I know.
We started our walk with some tips from Uncle Tony on how to utilise the flashlight properly. He jogged our memory on secondary school physics, talking about the angle of incidence of the light beam being equal to the angle of reflection. Thus, in order to see the reflection off the eyes of animals, we had to hold the flashlight at our eye level. I found this tip rather interesting as it showcased a real-life use of physics.
Throughout the walk, Uncle Tony introduced us to many species of plants and tips on identifying them. For instance, he showed us a cinnamon plant and explained that one feature to identify it was that there were 3 veins on the leaves. Another telling feature was that the shoots of the leaves came out from the same spot (instead of alternately). Really interesting!
Blurry photo of a cinnamon plant with 3 veins on its leaves.
Another thing Uncle Tony mentioned that stuck with me was that although people are often interested in the “new” and “rare” flora and fauna, we shouldn’t overlook the importance of the so-called “common” ones. This is because it is actually the “common” plants that allow there to be “new” and “rare” ones. These “common” plants are the ones that grow more easily and are more hardy, growing throughout the year. Uncle Tony described them like porridge for the animals. Throughout the year, these animals eat this “porridge”, and only on certain occasions – when the time is right – can they then eat the “better”, “nicer” food – the “rare” plants/fruits/flowers.
For me, the highlight of the walk was getting to see colugos gliding!! It was so cool!! We were shining our flashlights up at the trees when we spotted something moving. Sure enough, it was a colugo! It was moving up the tree so adorably, kind of in a hopping motion. Uncle Tony explained that they use their hind legs to push themselves up and their front legs to grab onto the tree trunk. The colugo kept going up the tree trunk, then glided down to the next tree trunk! Moreover, it didn’t just glide once! We stood there watching the colugo for a while before moving on. It was such a sight to see!!
The neatly-planted row of trees on which we saw the colugos.Ready, Set….Hop!Nailed the landing!
Overall, I really enjoyed the night walk as it was a new and exciting experience! I also learnt a lot about our native plants and got to see a colugo in action!!
Other Finds!
A toad we saw on the walkMassive strangler fig (if I’m not wrong)
I am very new to birding. Before learning more about them, I had always been curious about this yellow bird flying around my neighborhood, roosting right in front of this big tree right outside my window. I had always thought this particular yellow bird was a rare sight and was always delighted to spot it flying around before vanishing out of my sight. This yellow bird, is my origin story. When I saw the intro to birdwatching at AMK-Bishan Park on the 22nd of May 2022, I knew I had to hop on and learn more about our many species of birds in Singapore!
Birbs
Unfortunately, the trip started on a bad note as I assumed the trip started at 8.30am. I ended up reaching 30mins late and had to trouble one of the guides, Zachary, to come pick us up. While waiting, we manage to spot what I believe to be a Female Brown-Throated Sunbird hovering around the small tree next to us. It was a simply a joy as we rarely get to be so close to sunbirds as they are always so swift and often vanish out of sight the moment you take your eyes off them. We also spotted a Rose-ringed Parakeetroosting high up on a tree. Before catching up with the team, we also spotted a male Asian Koel (aka your uwu bird) just resting in a short tree not far from the walkway. I was actually quite surprised at its size as I have only ever spotted the female ones, and the pictures of the male I have seen makes it look small. Despite all these finds, the rest of the park was bustling with other humans, each doing their own activity – Badminton, Jogging/Brisk walking, Yoga etc. I believe that it was a pleasant sight to see as it shows humans and nature sharing a space and that we are able to co-exist alongside each other.
More birbs
We then finally caught up with the rest of the BFF-ers and we were greeted by Sandra and Movin. A keen-eyed participant also spotted a Oriental Magpie-Robin hidden within the trees! I was so amazed by this feat as it was well camouflaged beneath the shade created by the thick leaves and branches. We then also spotted a lonePurple Heron by the waterway which we assumed was hunting. I was told by a passerby previously when I first spotted them that they were migratory birds and they are regulars here in AMK-Bishan park. They even have a delegated tree where they rest and sleep! The guides then mentioned that their diet do not contain only just fishes, but also small animals and that it swallows it whole, literal gulps!
Even more birbs
As we wandered deeper into the park, the guides identified the calls of the Brown-Throated Sunbirds and the Ashy Tailorbird. Unfortunately, they were too swift and were darting around in the trees and I was unable to get a close look at it. However, we were then greeted by the Blue-Throated Bee-Eaters where they were seen hunting in mid-air! They did this fancy maneuver of flying upright vertically before nosediving and back onto the tree they were perched on. It was simply a magnificent sighting to behold as this was my first sighting. I simply love the color blue in nature as it seems to stand out so much more significantly in green/brown. We also spot some Pacific Swallows zooming past the fields, staying roughly 10cm above the grass patches, hunting and swooping in on unfortunate insects.
Increasingly more birbs
As we started heading back, I spotted a Collared Kingfisher just perching by the tree. This is actually one of my favorite birds as I simply like the coloration and simplicity of this bird. Kingfishers in general just look very cute to me. And as if a climax to the walk, we spotted a battle of a pair ofMalaysian Pied Fantail and a female Asian Koel. The outcome of the battle seemed obvious due to the size of both birds, but the Asian Koel ended up retreating due to the relentless attacks from the Malaysian Pied Fantails. These small birds are in fact very territorial and hence flung into an agitated state upon seeing a trespasser.
Summary
Overall I had an extremely enjoyable time, albeit short but only thanks to yours truly, I had collected more data for my own Pokedex and learnt a lot more about birds! I am still majorly impressed by the keen eyesight and hearing of the guides, for being able to spot the slight movement amongst the trees and isolating the bird cries despite the numerous distracting noises around the park. I can’t wait to go around various places in Singapore to spot and identify more birds and their respective calls! Super thankful to the guides – Sandra, Movin and Zachary for leading the walk and thank you for sharing more about theSingapore Birds Project! No pictures here but I have linked all the birds we spotted that day to their respective database on Singapore Birds Project so do checkout their amazing resource filled website! #notsponsored
By the way, the yellow bird I mentioned at the start is none other than the Black-naped Oriole! Congratulations if you correctly guessed it! Cheers and happy birding everyone 🙂
I fondly remember visiting Pasir Ris Park many years ago and I loved the natural scenery there. It has been a while since I last visited so I decided to join this very walk to explore the park once again!
Here are some interesting sightings and learning points I have learnt during the trip:
Canals
Grey heron chilling in the middle of a concrete canal
Other than acting as storm drainage, concrete canals were once thought to act as a method to control mosquito populations in the past. However, it was later discovered that this, in fact, did not manage to get the population in control (and might have contributed to it instead) and the best method to control their population is through Mother Nature! For instance, fish and dragonfly nymphs in the waters feed on their larvae and thereby helping to keep the mosquito numbers down. Some concrete canals, like the one in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, have been transformed into naturalised canals to help control mosquito populations as well.
2. Collared Kingfisher
I have heard of Singapore otters being highly adapted to the urban spaces of Singapore but I was amazed when I learned that they are not the only ones!
Collared Kingfisher is a mangrove bird and in other countries where they are found, they can only be found within the mangrove regions and are pretty hard to spot! Singapore is probably where this bird species can be found in various urban spaces. Personally, I used to see a pair on a tree outside my house so I thought that they are forest birds so this fact was rather mindblowing to me. These Collared Kingfishers in Singapore have adapted to feed on other food sources such as lizards, allowing them to adapt to our urban spaces throughout Singapore. Quite amazing I would say!
3. Other interesting sightings!
Nipah palm!
Nipah palms are mangrove palms and are well-known for their uses in some of our delicacies such as attap-chee in our ice kacang!
‘Bakau’ which translates to Mangroves
Mangroves are important carbon storage as they can easily store up to 3 times more carbon than our fellow forests. Their protruding roots also helped to dissipate the force from the strong currents during heavy storms and even during natural disasters like tsunamis, providing some form of protection for the inland region of the mangroves. On top of that, mangroves also serve as important fish nurseries during low tides!
Vinegar crab!
Back in the days, these crabs used to be pickled!
Orb weaver’s web
Their webs are known to be able to even catch a small bird due to the intricate design by the designer itself!
A little sad that we did not get to see Jack the resident Buffy Fish Owl that day but hopefully one day when I re-visit, I will get a chance to see it 🙂
Overall, I have learnt a lot from this short trip and am thankful to our guide – Nasry – for sharing with us his knowledge!
I have always taken a keen liking to creepy crawlies since young, be it the moths that fly into your house (according to my grandma, these are my ancestors’ reincarnates) or the brown beetle that does the same (iykyk) to the ants that I help established their “trading routes” at the nearby neighborhood park. My favorite Marvel Superhero also happens to be Spiderman. Hence, signing up for this trip is basically a given and I have been looking forward to it ever since!
Fast forward to the actual day and I was not disappointed. We started off the day at the shelter at Windsor Nature Park, where we were provided breakfast by our guides!
“Wah so good meh guides blanja y’all breakfast?”
Eh hold up. This isn’t your conventional kaya toast or currypok. They were actually insects of different species and flavors. Despite my keen liking in them, I would like them not to be part of my diet. But I did gave 1 of them a try, which was a barbecue flavored cricket. There were grasshoppers, mealworms and some others rotating around but they looked too intimidating for me and I am not ready for that.
So the verdict for the BBQ cricket?
Frankly, not too bad. Well there must be a demand for there to be a market right? As long as you manage to overcome the thought that you are putting a cricket into your mouth, it really does not taste as bad, but it’s definitely not something I would seek out actively.. but thank you to our guides for providing us with this unique experience!
We then set off after a brief introduction of everyone, and immediately we spotted what looked like a bee but was actually a Hoverfly! Interestingly, they perform tasks similarly to bees in the form of pollination. On the topic of bees, we actually have only 4 species of honey bees in Singapore despite having roughly 120 species!
We then arrived at a fig tree where we were told that a specific fig wasp pollinates a specific fig tree, and should the fig wasp go extinct, so will the fig tree! This is important as many animals rely on figs as a food source as they sprout all year round. When the flowers inside the fig are ready for pollination, it will emit an aroma that attracts fig wasps and the female wasps will try to fit inside the fruit, where it will lay its eggs and accomplishing her life’s mission. Once the eggs hatch, the newly hatched female fig wasps will leave the fruit, bringing the pollen with them as the cycle repeats.
Inside of a fig fruit! (Picture stolen from another BFF-er)
Mimicry
Now I have heard of defensive mimicry, e.g. leaf insect, stick insect and Atlas moth. They use this to protect themselves from predators either to camouflage or to scare predators off. But this is a first where I have heard of aggressive mimicry, where the predator avoids being identified by their prey as a threat. The ant-mimicking spider is one such example. It bears the same traits as its prey, with the golden lining at its abdomen area, allowing it to sneak up to them without startling its prey. Basically Among Us in real life.
Ant-Mimicking Spider. Photo by James!
Termites
Termites actually play a very important role in the ecosystem. They are detritivores, which means they feast on dead wood and plants. They help with decomposition and return the nutrients back to the ground. The workers are mostly blind but yet are able to fulfill their task as required.
Soldier Termites! Photo by James. Those with the pointed tips sprays some form of secretion that scares away predators.
All in all, definitely an interesting guided walk, a very informative and heavy loaded in fact! I especially liked the linkage some of the guides used with Pokémon, which makes it easier to understand and relate. From this I learnt to appreciate entomology much more and often stop to appreciate them every now and then. Looking forward to the next walk!
Nested in the west of Singapore, the Chestnut Nature Park, as introduced by our knowledgeable guide Francis Loke, is known as a green buffer. A green buffer serves to reduce the various pressures and stresses that urbanisation has on our nature reserves. They also provide an avenue for nature lovers to explore different sites such that they are not only limited to the scarce nature reserves we have in Singapore. This is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when people are more prone to going for hikes and visiting the parks as a form of retreat from the mundane work-from-home setting. Such buffer parks are also important for preserving the diversity and ecology of the nature reserves as the environmental impact from urbanisation will be ameliorated by them. This was rather intriguing for me as I have never looked at the differences in functionality of these different parks and reserves until this very walk.
Chestnut Nature Park
Besides serving as an escape from urbanisation for hikers, this park also has mountain biking trails for mountain bikers to indulge in. The wide range of recreational activities available is definitely one of the appeals of the park. Another appeal of the park will be the multitudinous species of trees that are found in this park. We were first greeted with the Ficus variegata also known as the Common Red-stem Fig which can be identified by their distinct morphology where the trunks of the trees are decorated with spots of fruits which are the figs albeit they grow on the stems and roots as well. Interestingly, apart from being a fruit, the fig also serves as a spot for wasps to lay their eggs. There are two types of figs that are present, the caprifig also known as a male fig and the female fig. The wasps and figs have a mutualistic relationship where the wasps help to pollinate the fig while the figs provide a place for wasps to lay their eggs. Since the female figs are also known as inverted flowers where they grow and bloom inside their pods, they cannot be pollinated via wind or insects such as bees and would require wasps to enter the figs to do so. In the event the wasps cannot lay their eggs or enter a male fig, they will die in the fig but fret not about consuming wasps in the figs because they produce an enzyme which helps to digest the dead wasp.
Ficus variegata
Another type of fig tree which was found in the park was the Burmese Banyan or the strangling fig. As the name suggests, the fig begins on tree branches and eventually grows to “strangle” its host tree after its seeds get deposited on the forest floor. The growth of this tree will put immense pressure on its host over the years until the host eventually dies off. As such, while they can be found in nature parks, they are usually not found on roadsides as they are not only detrimental to the surrounding trees but it can also cause damage to the road infrastructures as well.
Strangling Fig Tree and the Tembusu Tree
“Learn to appreciate the things or even people around us that we tend to neglect in the midst of our busy urban life”
HX
As we transverse deeper into the wilderness, I was overwhelmed by the amount of life that surrounds me. Looking right beneath my feet, I could see the ground buzzing with life, akin to looking at the MRT station during the rush hour. With a closer look into whatever is around us, we will be able to find some sort of living organism present. This made me realise that in life, we should not be too focused on what we have at hand but also learn to appreciate the things or even people around us that we tend to neglect in the midst of our busy urban life.
Ants Crawling on the Roots of the Tree
As the walk was coming to an end, we were fortunate enough to spot two uncommon animals, the Galeopterus variegatus or Sunda colugo and the Tragulus kanchil or lesser mouse-deer. As the colugo is a nocturnal animal, it was perched on the tree and remained rather unfazed despite the many eyes that were focusing on it. The colugo is often mistaken for flying foxes due to their ability to glide from tree to tree. It would definitely be fascinating to be able to see the colugo in action one day if there is a chance! Nevertheless, such near-sighting was a first for me and a memorable one as well.
Galeopterus variegatus clinging onto a Tree Trunk
With the great observation from our guide, we were able to witness the rare sighting of a lesser mouse-deer. I was very impressed by how she could spot the deer so effortlessly considering how it blended very well with the environment. When I was told that there was a deer, I expected the deer to be much bigger. It was only then I learnt that the mouse-deer is the smallest hoofed mammal hence, the name and its petite size. Though so, I was thrilled to be able to witness first-hand a deer in the wild.
Tragulus kanchil
To conclude, this field trip was indeed an eye-opening one, being able to explore another part of Singapore which I have not stepped foot in despite being an adventurous individual. The knowledge imparted to us will be useful especially in deepening our appreciation for the wildlife and the efforts put forth to protect our natural sites. With that, I look forward to coming back to this nature park again!
On the 21st of May 2022, I went to Chestnut Nature Park for the first time. I did not do any prior search on the park, and only had the impression that I would learn about forest habitats based on the name of the field trip on the sign-up page: “Forest Walk @ Chestnut Nature Park”. Perhaps like my enthusiastic guide Rachael Goh (who is from the the Friends of Chestnut Nature Park initiative) said, the launch of Festival of Biodiversity (FOB) which coincided on the same day must have blessed us with a fruitful walk, for we managed to sight many wildlife interactions and appreciate the biodiversity we have in Singapore.
Rachael started the walk with an introduction to the park itself, which is the largest nature park in Singapore. It also serves the important function of acting as a buffer to the neighbouring Central Catchment Nature Reserve, hence it is considered a buffer park. Such nature parks which border the nature reserves serve to reduce the human impacts on the nature reserves, which contain delicate ecosystems rich in our native and indigenous biodiversity. The nature reserves are of high conservation value, and the presence of nature parks such as Chestnut Nature Park not only preserve the integrity of the reserves, but also permit the local flora and fauna that resides almost exclusively in the forests to have that little bit more leg room to roam about.
Right at the entrance of the park, Rachael pointed out a native species of shrub – Dillenia suffruticosa – or more commonly known as Simpoh Air. It has a distinctive large, oval-like shaped leaves which is used to wrap tempeh, a nice protein-rich food which originated from Indonesia. I also noticed, while Rachael was describing the flowers of the plant, that there are numerous species of insects which could be found on the plant, including an unidentified cricket, as well as some species of ants. While the shrub we were admiring did not happen to be flowering, Rachael shared that many animals live off the plant, including carpenter bees which also happen to be the pollinators of the plant.
Next, we came across a nice mature Macaranga gigantea, which as its scientific name suggests, boasts massive leaves. Rachael picked up a dried leaf which has fallen from the tree, and it was easily more than thrice the size of my face. She then shared with the group that the Macaranga trees have a symbiotic relationship with ants, which protects the tree from herbivorous insects or other plant competition. As we moved along the trail, we came across a number of oil palms, which is a telling sign of a few things – oil palms are not native to Singapore and was introduced to supply the oil trade in the past. The land which is Chestnut Nature Park today likely used to be settlement for the people, and it was probably an oil palm plantation. We also came across a number of non-native plant species in the area, and this is one of the distinguishing differences between a primary forest and a secondary forest. What was interesting about the oil palms was that we were very fortunate to see it during the fruiting season, and hence there were a lot of activities going on in the area. Numerous plantain squirrels were feasting on the fruits of the palm, as well as other common birds such as Javan mynas and yellow-vented bulbuls. A common emerald dove also made an appearance along the forest floor, which is an indication that the buffer park is probably doing well, since it is not a species which can be found in urban settings.
Plantain squirrel feasting on the fruit of an oil palm.Common emerald dove on the forest floor.
Then, just a few metres away from the action happening around the oil palms, we saw a mother Sunda colugo carrying its offspring on its abdomen. This is a very fortunate sighting, as I often spot colugos when they are not taking care of their offspring. However, not only did we come across a mother-offspring pair on the walk, we managed to see two! As we proceeded with the guided walk, we came across another mother and offspring. It was indeed a very eventful walk already, but the luck our group had on that day had yet to end.
First pair of mother and offspring colugos.Second pair of mother and offspring colugos.
As we were observing a troupe of long-tailed macaques hanging around the treetops, I saw a black silhouette that was distinctively not a macaque. Intrigued, I used my binoculars to check out what it was. The unidentified object then repositioned itself, revealing to be a chestnut-bellied malkoha! This is an uncommon resident, which is also a forest-dwelling species of bird that has a unique orange skin around the eyes. Sadly, I was unable to take a photograph of it before it flew off into the forest.
Nonetheless, the walk has been amazing, with the group being able to see so many species and interactions between species, as well as gain a better understanding of Chestnut Nature Park and its importance of buffering the neighbouring nature reserve. We were also able to tell the differences between a nature reserve and nature parks along the fringes, including the general height and thickness of vegetation, the species of flora that can be found, whether there are more dominant occurrences of native or non-native species. I also learnt more about mutualistic relationships between species, as Rachael also shared with us how figs reproduce with the help of fig wasps, while providing nutrients for the fig wasps which helps to pollinate the figs.
I have always wanted to see what nature has to offer at night because it’s a whole new world compared to what we usually observe in the day. However, I hadn’t gone around doing it because a) My friends are not keen on exploring in the dark and b) I am not keen on exploring in the dark alone. When the signup link for this field trip opened, I jumped at the opportunity to finally tick one item off my to-do list.
The trees were shrouded in darkness as I made my way to the entrance of Bukit Batok Nature Park. Being in a nature park at night was a new and exciting experience for me. Although I have seen this place during the daytime, coming here after the sun had set gave the park a sense of mystery. Soon after, the BFFers gathered and started the walk under the guidance of Uncle Tony, who is a knowledgable and well-known figure in Singapore’s nature scene.
Even if I didn’t know then, I would have come to that realisation during the walk itself. As we walked along the trail, Uncle Tony rattled off the scientific names and facts about the plants that we encountered with ease. It can be difficult trying to remember the common names for some of the plants, let alone the complex and often tongue-tripping Latin names. We were also pretty fortunate to encounter not one but three colugos right as we entered the park. I was hoping to see one of these creatures as it has been a while since I last saw them and I was not disappointed.
I would like to highlight a message that Uncle Tony repeated throughout the walk, which is that common doesn’t mean second-class. Putting this into context, there are many plants like the fishtail palm and fig trees that grow in abundance around us. As a result, we don’t pay much attention to them, take them for granted, or even see them as less valuable compared to rarer species. However, these common species are often essential in maintaining a functional ecosystem as they provide a stable supply of food and shelter. While it’s important to take note of endangered and/or iconic flora, we should not forget the plants that enable other creatures to survive and thrive. As Uncle Tony said, try not to be distracted too much by the shiny things. Other stories and plants that Uncle Tony talked about have already been covered extensively by other BFFers in their own posts so I would definitely recommend you to check those out!
To be honest, my favourite part of the walk was the fireside chat. It was a really unique experience hanging out by the quarry and learning about how nature conservation has evolved in Singapore over time from one of the key figures who has spearheaded such efforts. Uncle Tony first talked about the redevelopment of Bukit Brown, and how different groups came together to attempt to come to a consensus in a peaceful and civil manner. That didn’t happen and according to Uncle Tony, people would resort to slamming tables in order to get what they wanted. Clearly, hostile actions didn’t help the situation.
He then contrasted this with his experience during the Cross Island Line (CRL) debate where consultations were held and people supported a more collaborative culture and were willing to listen and learn from one another. As a result of this, the authorities were open to alternatives and eventually settled for a path that minimised environmental damage. It was fascinating to hear all the behind-the-scenes stories from the very person who authored the CRL position paper. During my time as an undergraduate, I had pored over the document while working on an assignment about the pros and cons of the CRL. Looking back at my report, I realise that I had only scratched the surface of the issues at hand and there were so many nuances that I neglected to consider.
I suppose we could consider these as examples of human-wildlife conflict on a much larger scale, as compared to species-specific conflicts. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call them human-nature conflicts? It’s really admirable how people like Uncle Tony have navigated and circumvented such difficult challenges to nature conservation in Singapore, especially during times when conservation was perceived to be of a lower priority compared to other pressing needs. The question of balancing development with conservation is never an easy one to answer and Uncle Tony mentioned that we cannot expect all modernisation to stop for the sake of nature in land-limited Singapore. What we can do is to change the mindsets of people around us so that it influences general sentiment and thus political decisions, as well as educate the people who are making the big decisions so that they are personally aware of our natural heritage.
Besides learning about plants and how to identify them, the walk reminded me not to forget the common and unassuming ones around us. I also gained new perspectives and insights into what it means to be a city in nature, allowing me to have a more balanced view of the whole human-nature conflict. It was an eye-opening trip (both literally and metaphorically) and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to learn and unlearn.
The entomology walk was one I had my eye on since our very first BFF launch call so you could say I was very excited for the walk.
We started of with a special breakfast treat…the insect kind. A couple of packets of insects were passed around, different varieties different flavours. While I had eaten insects before (it was grinded into powder form and made into a cake) this was going to be whole. pieces. I picked up for myself a barbecue flavoured cricket……it was okay…. Haha 🙂
BBQ flavoured cricket
We were then introduced to the many guides accompanying us, each an expert in different fields! And off we went.
Some background, insects while tiny play a humongous role in our ecosystem. They help pollinate plants (which in turn feeds other fauna), nutrient-recycling, and are an important food source for many other species.
Below is a list of some of the takeaways I thought were very cool:
FLIES
First, we met with what i thought was a bee but nooooo it was a sort of fly!! Each insect performs a particular function / niche and different flies have adapted to actually perform similar functions that cover most insects.
Hover fly > pollinate like bees
Assassin fly > able to snatch prey in mid-air like dragonflies
(There were other functions but this is what I remember)
WASPS
While wasps have a negative reputation and prejudice against them they actually play an important role in pest control pollination. There are some plants that when “attacked” by caterpillars will release chemicals to attract wasps to come and eat the caterpillars.
Our wasps, bees, butterflies and flies are all important pollinators in our ecosystem! Did you know in Singapore, we have over 100 native bees, but only 4 species are honey bees.
FIG TREES
Fig trees are a keystone species (aka disproportionate importance in the ecosystem). They sprout all year round and are an important source of food for all kinds of animals.
The flowers are hidden inside the fig and are pollinated by fig wasps. As the wasps enters, she will break her wings and lay her eggs that will feed on the fig itself.
Figs are pollinated by a specific species of fig wasps, hence if the fig wasps go extinct so will the fig tree. There is a particular fig wasps species in haiwaii that has gone extinct, hence the fig trees now require human intervention in the form of hand pollination.
Pic of what it looks like inside the figs and the flowers that get pollinated
GENDER ROLES…in the insect kingdom
In the insect kingdom each gender has a specific role. The purpose of females are meant to reproduce as much as possible, thus they are less attractive (less obvious to predators) and can live much longer hence, reproduce more.
Comparatively, the higher priority of males is to mate with as many females as possible. Hence they are “prettier” to attract mates but are more obvious to predators.
For example, for bagworm moths when turning from caterpillar to moth, the females remain in a caterpillar like state and does not leave the bag. Instead, she remains inside waiting for the male moth to locate the waiting female.
After mating, she produces the eggs within her body and dies. fin ~
Other cool pics
Ant-mimicking spider – Usually animals would mimic to hide from predators, but in this case the spider mimics to be among ants to eat them, kinda like wolf in sheep’s clothing. (Pic by James our guide, my iPhone could never do insect photography justice)Using flash reflects this glowing thingy on the dragonflies wingsSame dragonfly – but taken with a proper camera! (Pic by James)
This ends my third reflection with BFF! It has been a very fun journey learning about biodiversity, from horseshoe crabs, to night walks at Bukit Batok and now learning about etymology. Looking forward to sharing more about my act for nature.
On the way to the meeting point, I saw a tree getting swarmed by several flying creatures. Thinking they were birds of some sort, I whipped out my camera to try and grab a photo of them so I can try to identify the species. However, I was unable to get any clear shots as the creatures didn’t stop to land. After watching them for a while longer, I started to suspect that they were bats instead of birds. I wasn’t quite sure if they were hunting insects or snacking on the figs on the tree, but either way, they were having quite a feast.
I didn’t have a very good opinion of figs before the trip. The only things I knew about them were the notorious strangling figs that drained the resources of their host plants before suffocating them and the fact that every fig comes with a free serving of wasp larvae. (Yuck!) Uncle Tony, our guide for the trip, soon changed my mind though. He told us how two different trees might have their figs fruiting at different times and its constant availability allows them to be a staple source of food for many creatures as opposed to other seasonal fruits.
“Say everyday you eat rice porridge. Not very nice to eat but it is filling. Then once or twice a year there’s durian season and you can eat durian. But in between, you eat the rice porridge to stay alive. The figs are the rice porridge for the animals. “
Uncle Tony
The very first thing Uncle Tony showed us was an old rain tree. He said the rough bark of a rain tree is specially suited for plants like ferns to take root in. Sure enough, there were bird nest ferns covering the tree, even on some of its highest branches. The crevices underneath the roots of the ferns serves as rest places for bats in the day, while the top of the ferns, in the middle of all the leaves, is a popular roost for owls. This singular tree is already home to such a rich ecosystem!
Rain tree in background. Photo credit to Elijah!!
Nearby there is also a fishtail palm, another important source of food for creatures. It’s so named because the shape of its leaves look like a fish’s tail. Though it looks like someone took a bite out of its leaves, the ragged edges of the fishtail palm are grown naturally.
Another common but also critical food provider is Dillenia Suffruticosa also known as Simpoh Air. It’s found all over Singapore and is a keystone species in many forests. It provides food and shelter for many animals and gives shade for other young plants to establish themselves.
Even though all these plants are fairly common in Singapore and can be found in most forests, they are a vital part of the ecosystem. But sadly, this is often overlooked by many people. Truly, it is these common and underappreciated plants that play the most important role to keep the habitat alive.
Mr Tony taught us to put our light source near our eyes so that any eye shine from the light reflecting off the eyes of animals hiding in the vegetation will enter our eyes. Unfortunately, our group didn’t have much light. Mr Tony’s flashlight ran out of battery and the flashlights that the other members in our group brought were not that strong. Me? I completely forgot to pack mine 😅. Hehe oops!
Thankfully we still managed to spot a colugo hanging out on the side of a tree. The little guy was just vibing up there. (This was also when I learnt that my camera is ill-equipped for night time photography) It’s so CUTE!!!!!!
We continued onwards and found more plants which Mr Tony taught us to identify. We saw cinnamon plants with unique reddish leaves and 3 distinct veins running vertically down each leaf.
They look like they got dusted with a layer of cinnamon! (The veins are more visible on the other side)
We also saw a baby rubber tree that has made Singapore its home. Its leaves are made out of three leaflets and Mr Tony said that if we were to break its stem, we would be able to see white sap coming out of it.
The entire bunch of leaves in Uncle Tony’s hand is actually 1 leaf with multiple leaflets. How cool!
We also saw fluffy plant I mean uh Koster’s Curse, which I found very interesting. Look at its berries!
The leaves are really soft to touch
And this caterpillar dangling from a single silk thread which I thought was really funny cause it was just hovering there.
oooooh magic 😛What I looked like trying to photograph the tiny thing >.< Thanks for the pic Elijah!!
While looking for more colugos, we also came across many interesting trees, like Ixonanthes reticulata, aka the Ten Men tree, identifiable by its spirally shaped leaves. (“Relative of the even taller Twenty Men tree” Uncle Tony jokes.)
The leaves are the ones in the distance. (It was a team effort to illuminate those leaves!!)
And the Jelutong tree which resembles a pole due to its lack of visible roots (as opposed to some other trees that have buttress roots.
We then had a fireside chat at the quarry. (SPOILER: There was no fire D:) There were many cicadas chirping and we even heard a few owls!
Uncle Tony told us about the past struggles that nature lovers had to go through to have the government listen to them and conserve our nature spaces. Though the government is now more willing to listen when it comes to environmental impact, not all species are subject to the same amount of concern. For instance, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve was only preserved when the presence of rare migratory birds was brought to the people’s attention, causing everyone to flock to the place. However, for areas like the Dover forest that were cleared, the victims were all common plants.
For rare plants, they usually don’t make much of an impact on the environment, cause there’s only one or two of them.It is the common plants which the environment relies on the most. The impact on the ecosystem resulting from their removal would be much worse than the loss of rare species. But the general public doesn’t really cares about these common plants.
On one hand, I get where the government is coming from. If forced to choose between preserving an area containing a highly endangered species and one that contains the same species that can be found in various other areas, I too would have picked the highly endangered species. However, Uncle Tony encouraged us to expand our view of the situation beyond just that one area. Take the Dover project again. The area cleared contained many albizia trees. These trees are fairly common and are the preferred nesting tree of raptors, the white-bellied sea eagle in particular.
A white-bellied sea eagle that I saw on my previous field trip
These birds of prey like nesting in the albizia tree due to its soft branches, which allows them to fly in and out of their nests without having to worry about banging their large wings. The removal of the albizia trees in the Dover forest could result in raptors moving away from the area due to a lack of nesting spots, which could subsequently cause an upset in the balance of the ecosystem. And though there are albizia trees found elsewhere, they could be further away from food sources or cause increased competition between raptors for ideal nesting spots.
It’s not just about this one project or this one area. Sure I can let you clear this small patch of land, but what impact does that have on the larger ecosystem?
Uncle Tony
However, he warned us again going in and banging the table demanding for change, cause that way, nobody would listen to you. Change takes time and we also have to be ready to make compromises. We can never stop or go against progress, but all we can do is to try to ensure that said progress causes the least amount of harm to the environment as possible.
Uncle Tony also told us about that while the government as a whole has implemented more measures to protect the environment, there are some that still flout the rules out of convenience. He recalled once when they were doing a frog survey, the entire river became “teh tarik” due to silt from road works being dumped into the river 2 kilometres upstream. His stories were all so interesting and educational and really got us to realise how far we have come in terms of advocacy for nature.
We then carried on with our trek, encountering many trees with interesting leaves 🍂, the first of which is the Breadfruit tree. Uncle Tony picked up two leaves from the ground, one big, and the other bigger! To my surprise, the bigger one is actually a young leaf! As it grow older, it loses its lobes and becomes smaller. Uncle Tony says that its size is because the newer leaves at the bottom need to capture more sunlight as they are further away from the sun. Therefore they grow even bigger than the older leaves up top, which have a greater exposure to sunlight.
The old leaf is the one on the left, while the young leaf is the one on the right. Weird huh?
We stopped for a while to check out a pavilion in the hopes that there were bats hanging on the roofs or moults that snakes left behind. Snakes would find a solid surface to squeeze against to help them shed their old skin and apparently pavilion rafters fit the bill. Unfortunately, we had no luck with this pavilion…
The next tree with cool leaves is Syzygium grande, more easily known as the Sea Apple. I say this because I spell it as Caesium grande when I tried to guess the spelling from the pronunciation of its scientific name 😅. Its leaves are splotchy and have a vein that runs along the entire edge of the leaf.
Do you see the vein going along the edge?
The last tree we learnt about was Macaranga bancania, who has a special mutualistic relationship with ants. The tree provides the ants with food and shelter while the ants defend the tree from external threats.
It’s leaves are also quite unique
As we were heading back, we spotted another pavilion. I suggested checking it out but Uncle Tony was not very optimistic. But lo and behold, we saw not one, but TWO shed snake skins hanging from the rafters. Uncle Tony used a stick to get them down and we admired the softness of the snake’s scales. He informed us that these were most likely from a Paradise Tree Snake, one of the more common snakes found in Singapore. (They can also glide!!!)
Can you spot it? Not going to lie, I thought it was a lizard tail the first time I saw it!A clearer picture taken by Elijah >:) You can even see the scales!
All in all, it was a very fruitful night. Honestly I was ready to call it a win when I saw a colugo for the very first time, but this walk really far exceeded my expectations.
I’ve learnt so much from the entire experience! Not just about the various species, but also about advocating for nature. I also met really amazing people that have such a great love for nature. Thank you Uncle Tony for teaching us so much and thank you to my fellow group mates who made the walk even more enjoyable!!
A celebratory group pic at the end of our walk!
I’ll end off this post with another quote from Uncle Tony.
“If you only remember one thing from this, remember not to ignore the common plants. Without them the ecosystem cannot function.”
BFF Biodiversity Challenge 2022 