BAY EAST

These photos were taken recently at Bay East. Some of the beautiful plants featured here include:

• Canna cultivars
• Duranta cultivars
• Cyanotis cristata
• Carphalea kirondron 

CUSCUTA

Cuscuta, which is commonly known as Dodder, is a parasitic plant from the Family Convolvulaceae. Yes, it is hard to imagine that this leafless vine-like looking plant belongs to the same family as the Morning Glory.

Like many other parasitic plants, the Dodder has haustoria that attaches itself onto the branches of its host plants and draws nutrients from it. In fact, this plant has minute scales as leaves and  an interesting life-cycle, which includes flowering and seed setting, like any other angiosperm.

I first saw this parasitic plant in the late 90s growing on and smothering a bed of dwarf Duranta shrubs I planted in front of the Lavender MRT station. I have also seen it growing on the Sphagneticola trilobata (Synonym: Wedelia trilobata, Complaya trilobata, Thelechitonia trilobata, Silphium trilobatum; Family: Asteraceae / Compositae). The only way to get rid of this parasite is not to pull it off the host plant because its remaining haustoria on the host plant is more than capable of regenerating the parasitic plant, but rather to prune the host plant back significantly to remove any remnants of the parasite. In extreme cases, the entire host plant may have to be removed and discarded and the plant replaced with a non-host species.

DURANTA

These are various species or cultivars of Duranta. See what happens when they are not pruned? Some of them grow into shrubs about 2 m in height and they are still growing.

DURANTA 'DWARF YELLOW'

Frankly, this is one of my all time favourite big shrub or small tree in a landscape because of its attractive golden small leaves, mass of bluish or white flowers and golden berries. When I knew the berries attract sunbirds and the flowers are a source of nectar for butterflies, the appreciation quotient went even higher.

From the Family Verbenaceae and commonly known as Golden Dewdrop, Skyflower, this beautiful plant has several species and cultivars and I do not know the real identity. This and its other species and cultivars are often pruned as a low hedge here, which to me kind of diminishes the value of the plant. Whilst I agree that it can make a pretty yellow hedge, it is best planted as a specimen plant so that it can grow, flower and fruit freely. And I look forward to the day when I see this old plant flourish in our landscape, by expressing the biodiversity value it truly brings to our environment.

A link on this wonderful and under-appreciated genus is as follows:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duranta_erecta

DURANTA ERECTA

These are the flowers of the Duranta erecta. I took them to show the tubular corolla directly below the petals. I don't think I did a good job of it though.

But hopefully, I made my point that butterflies prefer single-petaled flowers with a tubular corolla and their proboscis can reach deep in for the nectar. For this inflorescence, the butterfly has sufficient head room around the flowers for them to fly and land on them.

IRRIGATION POND

This is one of my favourite areas within HortPark. It was supposed to be planted up as a bird corridor and butterfly trail and subsequently developed as a new theme garden for guided tours etc. However, this did not materialise under me.

Anyway, it was still a pleasure to walk through this place anytime because there are always plenty of butterflies, just like the those captured in these photos taken on 9 Jun 10.

There were numerous Leopards found on the young leaf flushes of the Flacourtia inermis, apparently because they were looking for the host plant to lay their eggs.

The Duranta erecta plants are also a good nectar plant for the butterflies as there are always numerous butterflies flocking to it for nectar, like the Mottled Emigrant shown below.

Right here, I did not chop down the African Tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) and retained them because they pose no hazard to the general public and they can appreciate the orange flowers from afar.

Other than butterflies, there are also dragonflies, like the one hidden amongst the leaves of the Acacia auriculiformis at the water edge.

Finally, there is the Common Palmfly, captured once again in photo.