AGERATUM & BUTTERFLIES

Before I continue, I must confess that these photos are all not taken by me but by a colleague. Anyway, I am posting them here to showcase one of my favourite wildflowers Ageratum conyzoides (Family: Asteraceae / Compositae) as well as the numerous butterflies feeding on the fresh nectar of its newly bloomed flowers.

It is amazing that within a 3 m stretch, there are at least 15 butterflies from the Nymphalidae Family - Plain Tiger, Blue Glassy Tiger, Common Tiger and Striped Blue Crow.

AGERATUM CONYZOIDES

This is one of my favourite wildflowers and I was disappointed to find that a clump of healthy looking ones were removed recently from one of the planting beds. Now some butterflies have to look elsewhere for nectar.

AGERATUM CONYZOIDES & CNIDOSCOLUS CHAYAMANSA

I have always had a penchant for this wildflower Ageratum with its beautiful composite blue flowers and recently, it proved its worth to me again.

Its flowers not only attracted a Common Tiger but it also attracted two other Plain Tigers. This is triple wow! And these are three reasons, alright I cheated it's just two, for me to keep the wildflower in the garden.

On the other hand, the Cnidoscolus also managed to snag a Plain Tiger to its white flowers.

NATIVE PLANTS

Today's weather - sunny

The Ixora congesta has beautiful umbels of orange flowers with red bases. Along the Fragile Forest trail, I saw clusters of the weed Ageratum conyzoides again. The Diospyros areolata (Common Name: Kayu Arang; Family: Ebenaceae) was flushing, not blushing, with new pinkish leaves and it was apparent even from afar.

AGERATUM CONYZOIDES

I don't know about others but this weed has always been one of my favourite wildflowers with its blue composite flowers. In fact, I have a packet of seeds of the cultivated variety with many more compact flowers but I have not yet planted out the seeds.

BISHAN PARK - PART 6

I have a problem with my camera when it comes to focusing on objects and items that are small e.g. grass seed heads. It always ends up out of focus.


2nd - 4th photos, 7th - 17th - Spathoglottis unguiculata & Melinis repens
5th & 6th photos - Ageratum conyzoides
18th - 20th photos - Erythrophleum guineense