Eco Field trip #1

Today was the first ecology field trip. Super packed time-table on mondays, after I decided to squeeze in my Professional Communications module into my only 12-2pm lunchbreak... God, its a continuous stretch of lessons from 8am to 6pm! Faintz... Whats more the ES lesson doesn't end earlier and I had to request for us to be excused. Quickly bought some handy food and rushed to the foyer where I heard my TA called me. Such a coincidence that I met her during the Team Seagrass orientation. Small world indeed. =)

During the briefing at carpark B, Jinghui pointed out this little mushroom and said that this was a baby stinkhorn fungi. I remembered reading that in Dr Chua Ee Kiam book Nature in Singapore. Kinda forgot its content except that it had a beautiful netted veil running down when fully mature.

We were sent off soon after and wandered into the jungle trail. There were many interesting things to see. Or maybe because I wasn't really a jungle person, all seemed new to me. The pictures below were mostly if not all spotted by Denise. Amazing eye for creepy crawlers ;p (can anyone identify those caterpillars?)

Ermm... R u 2 having sex? (Stilt-legged fly)

Caterpillar 1: camouflaged like part of the branch

Caterpillar 2: Big green head worm. So cute!

Caterpillar 3: cotten wool?

Cicada! wow, this is my first time seeing one! Contrary to what I thought, there are actually about 3000 species of cicadas! They are actually the loudest sound-producing insects. Unlike grasshoppers and crickets which produce sound by stridulation (rubbing), cicadas use their muscles to vibrate their drum-like membranes in the abdomen producing sound through resonance. And only the male sings. Cicadas feed on plant sap as this one is doing now.

Pictures below not for the faint hearted. Man...Feeling the goose-pimples again when seeing at these.

Weaver ants' nest

With easy access to food

Black Termites. Looks like they can deliver a painful pinch!

But of cos, we still carried out our field work on $$ plants. Here are Kaiqin and Jinhui, the male models posing with them for height estimation.

Trip ended soon. And I let my exhausted body slp for the entire 1.30h journey back home.

Interesting place, definitely worth for another trip. =) Eh...Forgot to mentioned the trip was at labrador =S

A walk at Labrador

Finally army was over and well, din really spot alot of creatures there except for lots of swifts flying around the camp and a rhino beetle that lost its way to our room. No photo cos its forbidden in camp.

Man the weather was so bad these days, till yesterday when I finally get to see some sunshine. Quickly packed my bag and went off to labrador tickling with excitement for an adventure.

Arghh...reached harborfront to find out that the labrador bus was onli in service till weekends and I ended up calling a cab since I duno the way. Yes, its my first time there.

Reaching carpark B, I walked aimlessly along the shore. Wow, I never know theres such a place here besides east coast and pasir ris! And there definitely looks more preserved with its dense forest behind. Alot of war memorials here too.

Machine gun bunker

View from labrador. Eh...Isn't this the rocky cliff of sentosa?

There is a long bridge leading far out to the sea. Must admit that its not a breath-taking view here cos ahead of me are dredging works and smoking chimmeys from the refinerys.

This holes at the sea almond leaves looks familar!! Just like the infestation mentioned at my last post.

Ahh...I finally found the rocky coast which I heard so much about in those nature blogs. Too bad the tide was still up. Took a stroll down the beach and saw a few people. One student probably, seemed to be holding some detector and digging the sand (treasure hunt???). Another father and son team up to explore the coastline like me. And also a married couple in their suits and dress for some wedding photos. Can't resist a giggle when the photographer ask the groom to carry the bride and spin her and shout together. keke.

Din make alot of discoveries this time. Prehaps I was alone with no extra eyes to spot stuff. But more that of the weather! Freaking hot sia, almost dehydrated down there.

Nicer picture of the seaslug this time.

Snapping shrimp! So hard to take a photo cos it kept running about.

Small purple climbing crab hiding in a crevice

A hermit crab. I think that red coiled thing at its end is its soft abodmen as it was struggling from me.

Couldnt stayed longer for the low tide as meeting nerrsia for dinner before she went back france. Muttered a curse as I had to walk all the way out to the bustop. They should at least have one stop in here! =S

A raptor, Brahminy kite in the air when I was walking to the bustop.

When I have time, or more like when the weather is better, I will come back again and prehaps go into the forest trail. Looking outside my window at the dark clouds... Sianz!!! Not today I guess!

I will get the pictures up probably tml after i got my laptop back from repair...Life indeed is very sianz with all this rain and no lappy.

22 Dec~~ Oki uploaded the pictures le. Enjoy! =D