CATERPILLARS OF SINGAPORE'S BUTTERFLIES

Today's weather - sunny

I bought this book, priced at $26, last Friday even though I have been eyeing to buy it for a while now since I read about the recent launch. It was with much trepidation and excitement when I held onto this wonderful book co-authored by Horace Tan and Khew Sin Khoon.


It is a book that was so long in the making since taking photos of different instars of the caterpillars and pupae, of the butterflies, would probably have taken so much time and effort. I paused with abated breath and with butterflies in my stomach before flipping open the first page. 


I think Khew and Horace should go on to produce books on butterflies around this region. It is such a wonderful read and I am glad to have been acquainted with the most knowledgeable Khew years ago.

BUTTERFLIES

When we went underground to explore the new Marina Link, we saw this amazing display of metallic white cutout butterflies at the 鼎太丰 outlet. It's so beautiful and I wish I could take a couple home.

10.10.10

Today is 10th October 2010, in short it is 10.10.10. Well, I guess there would be lots of couples tying the knot on this supposedly auspicious date and day? I would have chosen to attend our Butterfly Garden adviser Mr Khew Sin Khoon's book launch but I couldn't make it.

Well, attached is a link on the launch, held at 10 am this morning at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. With the final arrival of his book "A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Singapore", it must be a dream come true for him.

http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2010/10/butt-launch.html

I cannot wait to lay my hands on the book that I got a colleague to buy for me. I actually wanted 2 books with Khew's autograph, but I understand he was so swamped with signing autographs etc that my colleague had to leave for something else.

Anyway, kudos to Khew for the very successful book launch! Awesome!

NB on 11 Oct 10: In the Straits Times, it was reported that 830 couples got married yesterday in Singapore on this once a century date.

CRATOXYLUM COCHINCHINENSIS

This is a tree from the Clusiaceae Family. I did not capture it but its new leaf flushes are pinkish and the peeling bark is an orangey brown. The leaves also have a drooping effect on the dome-shaped crown. In addition, it is a host plant for some native butterflies.

So this is definitely a tree worth planting in the landscape.

CATERPILLARS

I had not been looking out for my bat or butterfly friends recently. So I went searching for some of them and I was straining hard against this mass of climbing plants to see if I managed to see some familiar friends.

And I did. I found not just one caterpillar, but instead I found at least 5 Common Rose and 1 Common Birdwing caterpillars of various stages on the Aristolochia acuminata (synonym: A. tagala; common name: Indian Birthwort, Dutchman's Pipe) climber.

The bad news was, none of the 5 bats were around and I hoped there were still around somewhere. Anyway, links on the Aristolochia are below:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristolochia_tagala
2. http://www.boic.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=37