Jeremiah Loei‘s video clip of a squirrel and a monkey eating durians (Durio zibethinus) high up in the tree was documented at Bukit Batok Nature Park in 2012. The squirrel had gnawed open the hard, thorny fruit to get at … Continued
“While the flowers of Teruntum Merah (Lumnitzera littorea) may be visually attractive to us, some birds find them simply irresistible LINK. Just by probing between the petals, one is rewarded with refreshing nectar. “Like a moth to a flame, butterflies … Continued
Part 1: HERE; 2 HERE and 3 HERE. The insects responsible for pollination of Rodent Tuber (Typhonium flagelliforme) are gnats, specifically Moth Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) LINK and LINK. Video surveillance documented these flies entering and exiting the base of the … Continued
“Whenever the fiery flowers of Teruntum Merah (Lumnitzera littorea) are in blossom (above), they add a splash of enticing red and ephemeral vibrancy to the back mangroves. “Like a moth to a flame, a handful of bird species finds these … Continued
Part 1: Plant HERE. Some time ago, curious to see the flowers inside the bulbous base of the inflorescence of Rodent Tuber (Typhonium flagelliforme), I broke one open (above). What I saw was a mass of crawling tiny insects inside … Continued
Typhonium flagelliforme (formerly T. divaricatum) is commonly known as Rodent Tuber or Keladi Tikus in Malay. It is a small herb of up to 40 cm tall with leaves that are simple and borne on a long stalk (above). The … Continued
The Calabash Tree series: 1. The Plant; 2. Flowers and bees. The flowers of the Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete) begin to bloom in the late evening and last one night (above). By next morning the rings of petals litter the … Continued
My Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete) has been flowering for months now LINK. A few young fruits were eventually located. Obviously there was pollination. As the flowers open in the late evening the pollinators could be either moths or bats. The … Continued
Caterpillars, beetles and grasshoppers are some of the insects that depend on leaves to survive. While limited grazing poses no threat to the plants, excessive grazing that results in defoliation can have serious consequences. So what do plants do to … Continued
In 2008 Tan Teo Seng brought me a fruit and a cutting of the Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete) from his farm in Johor, Malaysia (above). I planted it in my garden and now, nine years later. it has fruited (below). … Continued
