The Sound Of Music: Nature's Beauty @ Pasir Ris Park

[edenstrauss 3]

More photographs on the Honolulu Creeper ... I love the saturated shades of pink! Don't they look yummy?

[edenstrauss 3]

HIBISCUS

Hibiscus flowers are a common sight found in the private gardens of homes & nurseries all year round.

I've tried my luck on Hibiscus but they were tough on me & would usually die off as they require alot of sunlight. The nurseries had also advised me that Hibiscus plants are prone to diseases and not advisable for homes that do not receive much sunlight.

(Rule of thumb: Flowering plants require adequate sunlight to survive & bloom)

The Hawaiian Salmon

As I couldn't find the breed of this Hibiscus flowering plant from the National Park's website, I've looked elsewhere & found that it's known as the Hawaiian Salmon.

The colour of such breeds of Hibiscus does look like the meat of cooked salmon. They are characterised by hanging multi-coloured flowers & are fast growing. According to sources, they are good for outdoors.

Edited December 3, 2011 by edenstrauss

[edenstrauss 3]

Hibiscus schizopetalus

To start with, we didn't know that this was also a breed of Hibiscus because the flowers looked nothing like the typical Hibiscus.

The Schizopetalus Hibiscus was said to be a weeping tree hibiscus. Its flowers are characterised by a parachute-like appearance and can be identified by the dangling stamen and lacy petals. It does look like a pretty, red chinese lantern, which explains why it is also commonly known as the Chinese Lantern / Japanese Lantern.

A less desirable nickname is the Skeleton Hibiscus.

Don't you think that these flowers look like pretty chinese lanterns with tassels & dangling from the branches?

When we first spotted the plant at Pasir Ris Park, it looked quite pathetic although there were plenty of freshly bloomed flowers. Its stature resembled nothing like what we have seen in the photograph attached below. The photograph's version of the Hibiscus looked really healthy with good growth of green leaves.

The version in Pasir Ris Park looked neglected & quite "bare", to the extent that there were only 3 to 4 stalks of leaves on the stem even though there were 5 hibiscus flowers growing from it.

Edited December 5, 2011 by edenstrauss

[edenstrauss 3]

Hibiscus schizopetalus continued ...

The buds of these blooms resembled smooth-skinned peanuts as shown in the photograph below:

More photographs of the red lanterns

Edited December 4, 2011 by edenstrauss

[edenstrauss 3]

The Chinese lantern being flanked by another breed of Hibiscus:

Edited December 4, 2011 by edenstrauss

[edenstrauss 3]

Golden Trumpet Flowering Climber (Scientific Name : Allamanda cathartica)

This is a flower that is pretty commonly found in nurseries and even at some public places.

They resembled morning glory which is also a creeper. For more information about the plant, please visit National Park's Flora & Fauna Web at the following link:

http://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/

[edenstrauss 3]

Ulam Raja / Pelampong (Scientific Name : Cosmos caudatus Kunth)

When we visited the Pasir Ris Park recently, we spotted another breed of cosmos flower growing amongst the Orange Cosmos.

This version of the Cosmos flower is in ombre pink (meaning that there's is a graduation of white to pink on its petals).

Not unlike its orange counterpart, the pink cosmos flower attracts both butterflies & bees as shown in the photograph below:

Based on National Park's Flora & Fuana Web, this breed of flower's scientific name is known as the Cosmos caudatus Kunth.

It is also commonly known as Ulam Raja or Pelampong and its leaves were known to be of medicinal value e.g. it is used to increase blood circulation in traditional medicine in the South East Asia.

Its leaves were also consumed as a vegetable in Malay cuisine. For more information about the plant, please visit National Park's Flora & Fauna Web at the following link:

http://florafaunaweb.nparks.gov.sg/

Edited December 4, 2011 by edenstrauss

[edenstrauss 3]

Creatures from the swamp

I didn't mean the famous Swampthing shown on TV during childhood when I refer to creatures from the swamp. The creatures are the habitants found in the swampy region of the Pasir Ris Park.

The photograph below shows a mudskipper :

Edited December 10, 2011 by edenstrauss

[edenstrauss 3]

The rest of the 4 consecutive photographs features crabs, ranging from huge ones to smaller versions. They were taken with our digital camera's zoom-in function :

[edenstrauss 3]

Chickens & Roosters

We were surprised when we saw roosters & chickens roaming freely at Pasir Ris Park. Some had attempted to "fly" but it was more like a high jump.

[NeoBY 1]

Nice!!

[edenstrauss 3]

Nice!!

Hi

Thanks for your generous compliments. It is most encouraging becox the traffic under this section of the forum isn't high...

I was almost going to give up on the plants & animals section soon!

[Lauer 15]

To Edenstrauss,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-FKskX5MBI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Enjoy!

[edenstrauss 3]

Hi Lauer

tx!

[Lauer 15]

I found myself coming back every year to write, not to expect an audience or popularity, but in gratitude to the seniors' whose postings have had a significant contribution in making a difference in my life.

So, don't give up sharing, for it may touch lives.

Enjoy!