HORTPARK 2

Today's weather - sunny

It is always such a a joy to visit HortPark and sometimes they bring back so many fond memories.


I love this native climber Tetracera indica that I planted at the Irrigation Pond area to conceal the manhole behind it.


The Clerodendrum quadriloculare across the Hands-on-House decided to show its beautiful pink tubular flowers that earn it the deserving common name Starburst Bush.


Over at the Prototype Glasshouse, the attention seeking Impatiens walleriana cultivars and the Tibouchina cultivar were wooing me with its amazingly beautiful flowers.


Then at the Golden Garden, I saw for the first time the unknown red flower Bulbophyllum in bloom. Since planting it, I have never seen it flower and I was definitely secretly excited by the excellent growth exhibited by the orchid on the Rain Tree fork. I hope they don't prune it away someday.


Just beside the Fruited Vegetables Garden, a clump of Strongylodon macrobotrys (common name: Jade Vine, Emerald Vine) flowers were hidden amongst the dense leaves covering the shelter.


Further up at the Floral Stitches, a sun lizard was so well camouflaged against the trunk of the tree that I almost missed it.


The unknown Terminalia was also fruiting for the umpteen time. As someone pointed out, the winged fruits reminded her of the plastic balls commonly used in washing machines to prevent the clothes from tangling together. Instead of having two glands on the underside of its leaves, typical of Terminalia trees, there is only one small gland on this one.


At the former Arbor Garden was a small bed of Lobelia chinensis, which I grew in waterlogged areas in the Car Park Garden in the past and which I have not seen in recent times.

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.

CAESALPINIA PULCHERRIMA

This is an uncommon coloured Peacock Flower planted at HortPark's Fantasy Garden and Irrigation Pond.

Taken on 26 Jan 10, the petals are creamed coloured with a yellowish center.