One Dollar, Two Dollars

Bidadari
North-East, Singapore
June 2013

It has been quite some time since Merlion Wayfarer stepped into a cemetery. Well, an exhumed one, to be exact. Today, she ventured into Bidadari with a nature pal. (Bidadari is best explored with a kaki, to be on the safe side.)

  

One of the safe paths to walk. If you stick to these paths, you need not step into the long grass areas. The grass here can be as long as thigh height, and there are lots of active ants here, so do wear long pants with longer socks.

  

A Hippasa Holmerae (Lawn Wolf Spider) with morning dew drops on its web. It builds the familiar sheet-webs that sparkle with dew drops over grassy grounds at dawn. The spider hides in a silken funnel that leads to the web and pounces on any grasshopper that lands on it.

   

  

The Blue Pansy (Junonia Orithya Wallacei) is a sun-loving butterfly, which can usually be found on grassy patches in open areas. This one here is having a hard time, as can be seen from its tattered wings.

  

A brilliant gold Orthetrum Luzonicum (Slender Blue Skimmer) rests on a blade of dried grass. At certain angles, the bronze on its wings shimmers in the bright morning sunlight.

The Mycalesis Mineus Macromalayana (Dark Brand Bush Brown) is one of the most common species of the many look-alike species of the genus Mycalesis. It is a drab-looking butterfly, with a dark-greyish brown upperside and a paler underside which features a white post-discal stripe on the fore and hindwings.

   

The Eurystomus Orientalis (Oriental Dollarbird) is named because of the distinctive blue coin-shaped spots on its wings. It is most commonly seen as a single bird with a distinctive upright silhouette on a bare branch high in a tree, from which it hawks for insects, returning to the same perch after a few seconds.

   

It has a distinctive call - a continuous guttural chirr, 

and sometimes it hides in the ample shade provided by the trees here with a mate...

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The full albums are available at:

Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa Web Albums

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Sources

• "Dollarbird". Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollarbird (10 June 2013).
   
• "Junonia orithya wallacei". Butterfly Circle Checklist. Retrieved from http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist%20V2/CI/index.php/start-page/startpage/showbutterfly/108 (10 June 2013, Expired as of 2014).
   
• "Mycalesis mineus macromalayana". Butterfly Circle Checklist. Retrieved from http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist%20V2/CI/index.php/start-page/startpage/showbutterfly/117 (10 June 2013, Expired as of 2014

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The Laughing Zorro Bird

Bukit Batok Nature Park

Central, Singapore

May 2013

It was a cloudy and warm afternoon in Bukit Batok when Merlion Wayfarer decided to take a short walk.

On entering the park, she spotted some recycling bins near the restrooms and playground...
(Good effort, NParks!)

Despite the humid noon sun, there were still sufficient sightings spotted in this park which is just minutes away from the nearest housing estate.

View Larger Map

• Oecophylla Smaragdina (Weaver Ant)
  (Read "Ants That Climb & Bind")
      
• Caelifera (Grasshopper)

• A Dart/Skipper from the Hesperiidae family:
  Darts/Skippers are generally small butterflies with thick head, big eyes, and small wings in proportion to their heavy bodies. As a result, these butterflies move their wings at a very high speed when flying. This makes their flight extreme fast and darting.

• Garrulax Leucolophus (White-Crested Laughing Thrush):
  Merlion Wayfarer spotted these beautiful birds near the quarry. These are inquisitive birds that cackle a lot (hence their name). They are curious about people and often come forward when there is food.
     

Quite a handsome-looking bird with its crest and Zorro eye mask...

When one spots food, a few others will be attracted by its call. 
Merlion Wayfarer thinks it's good to avoid feeding them as they might become a nuisance to other park-goers... 

• Ictinogomphus Decoratus (Common Flangetail):
  Merlion Wayfarer finds it easy to spot this dragonfly- It is large, common (one of the more commonly seen members of the family Gomphidae), and easily-recognizable by its bee-like yellow and black stripes. It breeds in open standing water like ponds and dams, and can be seen near the edges of many reservoirs and parks in Singapore, e.g. MacRitchie, Lower Peirce, Upper Seletar. 

  

After walking to the end of the shorter jogging track, and being awed once again by the magnificent quarry, she decided to end her short visit today...

Peaceful surroundings amidst still waters...

  

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More photos are available on:
Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa Web Albums

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Ants That Climb & Bind

Bukit Batok Nature Park

Central, Singapore

May 2013

Near a footpath at the Bukit Batok Nature Park where she met "The Laughing Zorro Bird", Merlion Wayfarer noticed a colony of Oecophylla Smaragdina (Weaver Ants) building a nest among some shrubs. These are the commonly-termed "red ants" that inhabit trees and bushes, move around a lot, and tend to crawl into your footwear and inflict painful bites.

(There are lots of ants here, so do make sure you are wearing long pants with proper shoes and socks when you explore this park.)

The weaver ant's ability to build capacious nests from living leaves has undeniably contributed to their ecological success. The initial phase in nest construction involves workers surveying potential nesting leaves by pulling on the edges with their mandibles. When a few ants have successfully bent a leaf onto itself or drawn its edge toward another, other workers join in the effort. The probability of a worker joining the concerted effort is dependent on the size of the group, with workers showing a higher probability of joining when the group size is large.

When the span between two leaves is beyond the reach of a single ant, workers form chains with their bodies by grasping one another's petiole (waist). Multiple intricate chains working in unison are often used to ratchet together large leaves during nest construction. Once the edges of the leaves are drawn together, other workers retrieve larvae from existing nests using their mandibles. These workers hold and manipulate the larvae in such a way that causes them to excrete silk. They can only produce so much silk, so the larva will have to pupate without a cocoon. The workers then maneuver between the leaves in a highly coordinated fashion to bind them together.

Weaver ants' nests are usually elliptical in shape and range in size from a single small leaf folded and bound onto itself to large nests consisting of many leaves and measure over half a meter in length. The time required to construct a nest varies depending on the leaf type and eventual size, but often a large nest can be built in significantly fewer than 24 hours. Although weaver ants' nests are strong and impermeable to water, new nests are continually being built by workers in large colonies to replace old dying nests and those damaged by storms.

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The full albums are available at:

Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa Web Albums (Ants)

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Sources

• "Dynamics of aggregation and emergence of cooperation" by DENEUBOURG, J.L., Lioni, A. & DETRAIN, C. (2002).  Biological Bulletin 202:262-267.
• "The ants" by HOLLDOBER, B. & WILSON, E.O. (1990). Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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My Kiwis Are Planted By Handsome Italian Men!

Singapore
June 2013

This morning, Merlion Wayfarer drank a freshly-blended kiwi smoothie.

(Source : My Danish Kitchen)

Now, Italy is the world’s largest kiwi producer. The trans-alpine country has an extension of 25,000 hectares of kiwi, basically spread over the most typical areas: The Veneto (around Verona), Emilia-Romagna (around Cesena) and Latina (Southern Rome).

(Source : Lonely Planet)

This could mean that what she drank could be planted by someone as good-looking as these!

The handsome Italian-American crooner, the handsome Italian-American lover, the handsome Italian-American dancer....

Curious about the origins of her food, she took a walk in the supermarket. Here's what she found...

Carrots and apples from the lands of Crocodile Dundee and Lord of the Rings. 

And yes, I "envy" the fresh air and green fields these fruits enjoyed there...

Nearer to Singapore, yet still a plane ride away - Dragonfruit from Vietnam and mangoes from India...

These probably suffered from bum ache from at least 24 hours of plane journey - 

Pears and lemons from South Africa, black grapes from Chile, blueberries from Morocco...

From exotic lands filled with mystique that you often see in travel brochures - 

Apricots from Turkey and green grapes from Egypt...

Not to mention the famous Valencia oranges from the US...

Ok ok, we all know that growing organic food causes fewer greenhouse gases than traditional farming. But what happens when your organic kiwis shipped from Italy to Singapore?

Most produce is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1,500 miles before being sold. As your breakfast racks up "food miles", it is also accumulating a larger ecological footprint due to the energy required to store and transport around the globe.

As a result of its time in transit, your kiwis probably require a lot more packing to keep it in good shape. And it is plucked when still in the raw stage. That explains why so many kiwis taste sour if you try to eat them straight after you bought them from the supermarket.

"Think Global, Eat Local" - Why You Should Eat More Local Produce

Where available, consider choosing produce grown nearer to Singapore, e.g. Pasar range. They are grown locally or in regional countries like Malaysia and Thailand.

It is World Environment Day 2013 today, so THINK before you EAT and SAVE the environment.

Think.Eat.Save

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The full album is available at:

Merlion Wayfarer Goes Green's Picasa Web Albums (Places - Supermarkets)

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Sources

• "Kiwi in Italy: Collaboration with some of the most important companies" (10 April 2012). Agq.com. Retrieved from http://www.agq.com.es/article-fr/kiwi-italy-collaboration-with-some-the-most-important-companies (05 June 2013).

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Think Global, Eat Local

Singapore

June 2013

(Source : My Danish Kitchen)

After discovering that the kiwis in the smoothie she drank could be planted by handsome Italian men ("My Kiwis Are Planted By Handsome Italian Men!"), and thinking about the journey the poor kiwis took to be transported halfway around the world to Singapore, Merlion Wayfarer decided to compile a short-and-sweet list of why you should eat food produced locally (and regionally).

1. Locally-grown food tastes and looks better. The crops are picked at their peak. Livestock products are processed in nearby facilities and typically the farmer has a direct relationship with the processors, overseeing quality - unlike animals processed in large industrial facilities.
     
2. Local food is better for you. The shorter the time between the farm and your table, the less likely it is that nutrients will be lost from fresh food. Food imported from far away is older and has traveled further on trucks, ships or planes, and sat in warehouses longer before it gets to you.
     
3. Local food preserves genetic diversity. In the modern agricultural system, plant varieties are chosen for their ability to ripen uniformly, withstand harvesting, survive packing, and last a long time on the shelves, so there is limited genetic diversity in large-scale production. Smaller local farms, in contrast, often grow many different varieties of crops to provide a long harvest season, an array of colours, and the best flavors. They also tend to produce crops according to the season and soil conditions, and use organic fertilizers. Large farms tend to milk the environment and overharvest to increase crop yield. Livestock diversity is also higher where there are many small farms rather than few large farms.
     
4. Local food benefits the environment and wildlife. Well-managed farms provide ecosystem services: they conserve fertile soil, protect water sources, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. The farm environment is a patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings that provide habitat for wildlife within the communities.

Commercial vertical farming in Singapore which produces one tonne of produce every other day for local supermarkets...

(Source : Inhabitat)

Hydroponics & aeroponics farming in Singapore...

(Source : Blogspot & Geography ATT)

Sources

• "The World's First Commercial Vertical Farm Opens in Singapore" by Lori ZIMMER (26 October 2012). Inhabitat.com. Retrieved from http://inhabitat.com/the-worlds-first-commercial-vertical-farm-opens-in-singapore/ (05 June 2013).

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