LOA

Well, it looks like I unintentionally started a 2 year leave of absence after my last post. Guess I'll have to do some back dating again and so on. Not sure there are as many photos as previously though. In 2016, my holidays were taken up with internships and after that, I started work. (I know, unbelievable right?) I didn't go on as many nature trips as I used too. The weather's gotten horribly hot too. I rather stay at home and write stories now. Well, whatever it is, let's put up some of what I have. It'll be nice for memories.

May

Indian Cupid! RARE Butterfly!

Yes! All my life I keep a look out for new butterflies and in my current workplace, I've found one! Behold! The Indian Cupid!

 

My new workplace is beside a little farm/garden where they grow all sorts of vegetables. Inside, they have a hydroponics bay so I suppose you could say it's quite a green work place. When I can, I go out to the garden to look around and imagine my surprise when I saw this!

At first, I thought it was a lesser grass blue, the more common butterfly in Singapore that's around this size. However, when you examine the wings, you can see that it is quite different. The lesser grass blue is duller and more brown while this is more grey and has vivid orange and black spots near the tail.

So, as always when I can, I took some pictures of it and went home to consult my guidebook. There, I discerned from the location and size of the wing spots, as well as the color of the inner wing, that it was most likely an Indian Cupid: A rare butterfly!

Yes! I've always wanted to see rare butterflies and I found one right beside my work place. I was ecstatic. Lucky too. I went back again over the next few days and I never saw it again. I guess my timing just happened to be right the last time.

Woohoo!!!
 May.

Floral Sunrise

My work brings me all around the country but one thing never changes, it's always in an inhabited, usually office area. There aren't that many trees around and consequently, I don't get to see much of nature other than the usual Mynas, Sparrows, ants etc. that seem to coexist extremely well with humanity.

However, that's not to say that there isn't beauty and nature regardless. Sometimes, all you need to do is know where to look.

Look at this. It's the early morning sun over a field of flowers. Now that's beauty in nature. In a garden city, it's everywhere.

You only need to know where to look.

May

Fishes in the Canal

I started work about two months ago and one of my workplaces is right beside a park connector network (PCN). It's a lovely place to walk during lunch, especially when the office is effectively a fridge and you desperately need to warm up.

The nice thing about PCNs is that they tend to be right beside a canal. And when the canal is as full as this one, that means only one thing: Fishes! Haha. I doubt I can eat any of them but it's nice to see signs of life and nature during your lunch break. Man, those fish sure are lively. They dart around, in and out of the brown swirling dust. It's very nice.

May

Blue Glassy Tiger

Another catch up post just to record what I saw during another visit to the botanic gardens in 2017. Off hand from memory, I identify this butterfly as a Blue Glassy Tiger. It's pretty isn't it?

Eyes wide open,
May

Crow-billed Drongo

Yup, another catch up post. It seems to me that there are very many different species of bird nestled in the botanic gardens. I find all sorts of birds that I've never seen before there. This is yet another one, the Crow-bill Drongo. I don't think I've ever seen it again. Hmm. I haven't been to the botanic gardens in a while. Maybe I should go again. Who knows what I will find.

May

New Year at botanic gardens

Hey. This is a catch up post so I honestly cannot remember what happened that day. However, judging from the pictures, I must have had a blast! There are so many wonderful things I saw on new years day 2017.

 Dragonfly!

 Darn. The squirrel is so super cute. Look at its round head and chubby cheeks!

 Damselfly. They are related to dragonflies but are somewhat different. I'm not sure exactly how but I think it's the wing colour.

 Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. You can tell from the two long tails ending in larger roundish fins hanging from the bird's tail.

 I have no idea what this butterfly is.

 More Damselflies.

 A banded woodpecker. They are supposed to be fairly common in the forests but I think this is the only time to date that I've ever seen one. We spotted it in the National Orchid Garden

The closest I can find to this in my guidebook is a Striated Heron. It matches the best but it doesn't seem right either. This one is more bluish and white instead of grey and yellow round the beak. I think it's a different bird but I have no idea what.