Around November 2015, Tan Teo Seng brought me a bunch of pinkish, grape-like fruits from Johor, Malaysia. The fruits were eventually identified as Cayratia mollissima (formerly Vitis mollissima), belonging to the grape family, Vitaceae. I could not find any common … Continued
A parasitic wasp eating its way out of the pupa of the Painted Jezebel (Delias hyparete metarete) was documented by Janice Ang at the Seletar Country Club Butterfly Garden (above). The images, from top to bottom, similarly give the stages … Continued
The first part of the series on egg laying and prey can be viewed HERE. “The Potter Wasp (Delta sp.) has just completed her 12th nest cell, and I believe that’s the last pot for the season, as instead of … Continued
“It’s now nesting season, not just for birds but also Potter Wasps (Vespidae: Eumininae) it seems. Perhaps it’s because of the latter and other insect births at this time, that the former is timed upon? “I have been observing a … Continued
“On 6th December 2015, the air was infused with the arousing fragrance of freshly bloomed flowers of the Pulai tree (Alstonia sp.). Apart from myself, I was curious to see if any other creatures would be inexplicably drawn towards these … Continued
The Bilimbing (Averrhoa bilimbi) is a smallish tree that is commonly planted for its sour fruits often used in Asian cooking. The flowers are reddish, in small bunches arising from the stem and branches of the tree. They open in … Continued
“At around midday on 22nd February 2014, we had arrived at a stream in the Ulu Langat forest (Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia). Despite a severe lack of rain over the preceding weeks, a steady flow of freshwater was indeed a welcome … Continued
Teo Lee Wei and K documented bees collecting resin from a Norfolk Island Pine Tree (Araucaria heterophylla) along Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor, South Australia in mid-July 2013. The resin was oozing from the tree trunk where branches had been trimmed … Continued
“Casual observers of bees, of which I am one, have the impression that they take nectar and collect pollen in their fleeting moments while visiting flowers. “However, the video I recorded this morning in bright sunlight revealed that they could … Continued
“My helper was reaching out to a luffa fruit (Luffa aegyptica) that was scrambling over the limau purut tree (Citrus hystrix) the other day when she noticed a small colony of bees attached to a twig nearby (above). She immediately … Continued
