Nature

Mayapple. Cook County IL :: 2013

Today, the Dredge Team surveyed the seabed at 100m! The deepest in Singapore ever surveyed! (So far) What did we find in the Singapore Deeps? The Singapore Deeps is a nice way of referring to a part of the seabed that is more than 200m deep! It's somewhere near St John's Island, and kind of Singapore's 'trench'. But since it's not very long and is more circular, it's more proper to call it a Big Deep Hole. The key piece of equipment to help us do this is this brand new winch! Thanks to Dr David Lane for letting me photograph from off his camera! And thanks to Prof Peter Ng for suggesting the title for the blog post. It's Basket Star Country Down There! There were lots and lots and lots of basket stars, unfortunately mostly in bits and pieces. There were also lots of other echinoderms like super spiky sea urchins! There were also big sea stars and little sea stars and lots more. I'm sure we will soon see better photos of these finds! Every bit of the precious sediments in the small sample pulled up from the deep is carefully checked for interesting animals. Dr Bertrand (wearing hat) is a deep sea expert who leads all our dredge survey has a chat with Melissa Diagana, among the intrepid volunteers with the Survey. Melissa has authored a lovely article about the Northern Expedition for the Nature Society (Singapore)'s magazine NatureWatch. Thank you Melissa! She and other volunteers are hard at work sorting out all the amazing finds of the day. The Ladies of the Crypt are busier than ever. Dr Joelle Lai is figuring out how to deal with this tiny razorfish. The Photo Team remains hard at work taking nice photos of all the animals. Here's a land hermit crab in a land snail shell, so a photo of it on sand is natural. Here's a strange piece of equipment that I came across in the Photo Lab. Everyone was busy so I didn't want to disturb them to ask what it does. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. In the late morning, I joined Prof Daphne and Dr Zeehan Jaafar to do an important if rather unadventurous survey. We have a look at the artificial water table and tanks and even the drains at the Tropical Marine Science Institute. Here we can find some sea anemones that Prof Daphne has found more commonly in artificial aquariums rather than in the wild. They are often considered aquarium pests. Their identity is rather confused and will take time to sort out because so many people have named all kinds of similar sea anemones with the same name. Meanwhile, Dr Tan Heok Hui and Dr Arthur Anker had been snorkelling in the lagoons and collected all kinds of amazing animals stuck to the pontoons or elsewhere on the shore. Like this enormous bryozoan! Here's some of the interesting animals found after their quick snorkelling trips. Lots of tiny snapping shrimps, even some sea skaters (insects that live on the sea!), a swimming clam, and all kinds of other colourful creatures. All too soon, it was time for lunch. Which was fabulous with a choice of Western or Thai. Wow! Sorry for the poor photos. I was too hungry to notice the camera settings were off. After lunch, the tide was lowish. So Prof Daphne and I had a little look around in the lagoon. Then, together with Dr Jim Lowry, we headed out to check the tiny patch of mangroves on St John's Island. It's not all that tiny after all! We had a good poke around. We didn't find any sea anemones, unlike in mangroves in the North. Zero is still data, it makes us wonder why there are so many anemones on our Northern mangroves but not in the South. But we did find other interesting marine life here. The mangroves on St John's Island may be tiny but were quite rich with all kinds of interesting plants and animals that we typically find in our mangroves. And what are these brownish mud-like things on the underside of mangrove saplings? They look suspiciously like the amphibious bryozoans that Dr Gordon taught us about. No worries, Dr Kevin Tilbrook will soon be

Every time I see it, I cringe inwardly. And then I quickly get over it because there are bigger things in life, and besides – the misuse of it’s and its is such a common error. But there are people out there who don’t get over it so quickly, and it could be something as simple as your misuse of the English language that keeps them from returning to your blog. Oh, please. I’m exaggerating here, and at this point in my blogging ‘career’, I hardly give a whit if someone stops coming because of my poor grammar, but hopefully you get my point. It’s = it is It’s is a contraction of it is. It’s starting to bother me. [It is starting to bother me]. Its = the possessive form of it. Its is an attributive adjective. The day has lost its splendor. (Its pertains to day). This is only for those of you who want to use the words properly. The rest of you heathens are on your own here. Ha! I said heathens! In grammarly love, (yes, I know it’s not a word)

The Southern Expedition explodes on St John's Island with a boatload of humungous gear! Fortunately, there's lots of enthusiastic folks to get everything sorted out. We arrived at Base Camp and everything was so well organised! With lots of helpful signs, including the one for the 'Unisex Toilet' with some graphics to suggest the rather graphic outcomes of NOT knocking before entering. Oops. One of the Most Important Items is REAL COFFEE. Kindly arranged by Dr Joelle Lai who brought the Nesprezzo machine. The coffee is so good, that sadly, it is charged at $1 per cup. All other beverages are free! Razali is the man we have to thank for all the wonderful arrangements at Base Camp. There's a well equipped cooking area, laundry area, all kinds of dormitory arrangements, and lots lots more. Of course with lots of help from Helen and the rest of the tireless staff. Dr Tan Heok Hui gave a briefing session covering the major programme, safety and other issues. Followed by a lively round of introductions. This is just a small part of the total expedition as many scientists have yet to arrive and none of the volunteers have yet to turn up. All too soon, it was time for lunch! In the midst of lunch, we heard the dredge boat had come back early. Oh dear, this probably meant that some of the equipment got damaged while dragging it on the sea bottom. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch! After lunch, we get right to work on the dredge. There's lots of excitement at the sorting stations as all kinds of critters are teased out. Dr Bertrand seems to be explaining some large thing that he found. Earlier on, Yen-Ling had a briefing session with the helpers at the sorting station. A nice addition to the sorting station are photos and pictures of various common types of animals to help those who are less familiar with our marine life. Thanks to Rene Ong for putting these charts together. It's great to have many young sharp eyes do the sorting! Older folks like Prof Peter have to use super special glasses to look at the teeny tiny crabs that have come up in the dredge. Here's a look at some of the beautiful, crazy and awesome animals found in today's dredge. Oh dear, here's the broken beam trawl. No worries. It can be fixed. The awesome photo equipment have been set up in a special room just for taking photos of live specimens. The Ladies of the Crypt are hard at work. The Cryogenic team carefully takes tissue samples and freezes them to preserve the sample for future genetic and other work. The Expedition gives them an opportunity to rapidly build a good library of our many common animals, as well as special ones. Some of the scientists have already set up their work areas within hours of arriving! Meanwhile, out back, the scientists are patiently going through the dredged sediments! After lunch, Prof Daphne and I had a look around at the shore nearby. But we decided we should do a proper survey tomorrow with our field gear on. Wow, Rene announced, after confirming with Chay Hoon, that this nudibranch with 'donut' shaped things on its body is a first record for Singapore! As I leave for the day, it's still daylight and I enjoy the view of the only place in the Southern Islands where we can see both the city skyline and mangrove trees! I left on the early boat so I missed dinner, which just arrived in large numbers, together with more staff and helpers. Here's Chee Kong bringing back the dinner. Rene kindly shared a photo of dinner. Photo by Rene Ong. Goodbye to the Expedition, until tomorrow! During the Expedition, I will try to post live updates on twitter as well as to facebook and the Mega Marine Survey facebook page. Also check out tweets by participants using the hashtag for the Survey #MegaMarine. These are consolidated on the Mega Marine Survey blog. Volunteer sign up for the Southern Expedition are alre

Exciting activities specially for kids are lined up for June school holidays! Lots of fun ways to discover and enjoy Singapore's shores ! Volunteer the whole family to help rescue horseshoe crabs. Lots of free activities including a guided walk at Chek Jawa boardwalk, explore more of Pulau Ubin, see how traditional prawn farming was done, check out freshwater wetlands. Or join workshops on owls, pond life and lots more! VOLUNTEER and make a wild difference! Horseshoe Crab Rescue and Research with the Nature Society (Singapore) on 1 Jun (Sat) and 15 Jun (Sat) and 29 Jun (Sat) Join the Nature Society to rescue and study the Mangrove Horseshoe Crab (HSC). FREE events 1 Jun (Sat): Free Chek Jawa boardwalk tour with the Naked Hermit Crabs The Naked Hermit Crabs introduce you to Chek Jawa without getting your feet wet. Even though we are not going on to the shore, there is still much to see and enjoy. There are monitor lizards, fiddler crabs, spiders, rare plants, wild boar, mudskippers and lots of fruit trees. If we are lucky, we might even spot the Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Sea Eagle and the giant Atlas Moth. 1 Jun (Sat): Prawn and Fish Demo at Sungei Buloh Free guided introduction to traditional prawn and fish farming. Go on a journey back to the past, where the history of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve as prawn and fish farms is one not to be ignored. The importance of mangroves as a spawning place and nursery for prawns and other life played an important role in shaping Sungei Buloh today. The traditional method of prawn harvesting will be demonstrated and how the tidal influence play a part in this activity will be brought to life. The highlight is a real hands-on demonstration of a prawn harvest. The kids will be thrilled to check out what comes up with the net, see real live prawns and learn more about our seafood and the tides. The walk is approximately 5km on wide earthen trails. Suitable for older children who are reasonably fit. 16 Jun (Sun): Birdwatching at Kranji Marshes with Nature Society (Singapore) Open to the public but children below 12 are not allowed for safety reasons. From the meeting point, a hired bus will ferry us to our destination. We begin with a pleasant stroll along a countryside road to the Kranji Marshes where we will continue our walk along the PUB Bund. The marsh is designated by URA as a Nature Park and is currently adopted by NSS under PUB's ABC Waters Programme. Birding highlights here include the Red-wattled Lapwing, Purple Swamphen, Rusty-breasted Cuckoo, White-browed Crake, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Grey-headed Fish Eagle and more. MORE events 1 Jun (Sat): Roots, Shoots, & Fruits Guided Walk Admiralty Park Learn more about the diversity of plant life, their unique and interesting characteristics, and their importance to people. $5 per person/ $80 for 15 persons. 8 Jun (Sat): Roots, Shoots, & Fruits Guided Walk at Sengkang Riverside Park Learn more about the diversity of plant life, their unique and interesting characteristics, and their importance to people. $5 perperson/ $80 for 15 persons. 15 Jun (Sat): Workshop for kids - Oooo...owls! Who goes "hoo-hoo" in our forests at night? Why do we think they are so wise? What "special powers" do they have? Do they exist here in Singapore? Discover more about these beautiful nocturnal birds, and learn to make an owl hanging poster at the end of the session. Suitable for kids 5-10 years. $25 per child. 15 Jun (Sat): Guided walk at the Sensory Trail, Pulau Ubin Experience Ubin's wonderful nature through your senses along our Sensory Trail. This is an excellent introduction to the rustic and natural character of the island. You will be able to touch, see or smell fr

Over a period of two to three weeks from late April to early May, quite a number of fruits of the Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum) were gradually ripened in a forested area along a patch of a park connector in Mandai. I visited the "fruit stalls" late in the afternoon on Labour Day. First butterflies met my sight were a pair of  Chocolate Sailors (Neptis harita harita) which

It’s Saturday afternoon and the clouds have taken over but I don’t mind. They suit my mood and frankly, I think some rain would be lovely. I spent the day doing some badly-needed spring cleaning and have the sore muscles to prove it. But at the moment, I am consoling myself with a cocktail and listening to some music as the pre-Preakness Stakes festivities air on our local television channel in Baltimore. Later in the afternoon, I went out and bought myself a hanging basket to cheer up the little back porch area. I’ll be working on that tomorrow, even if it rains. It’s a mess and I took a before photo for tomorrow’s post. While I was cleaning the upstairs foyer this morning, I could hear my son in his room practicing on his guitar. I usually mind the fact that I’m the only one cleaning, but he’d just come home from working all night and he was playing an old Joni Mitchell tune with his door open. He asked if I knew what it was. Is he kidding, I thought. I love Joni Mitchell, and I loved being somewhat serenaded as I wiped down the woodwork with cleanser. I took this yesterday evening within moments of sitting down in my chair to relax and smiled wide after seeing it on the playback menu of my camera. She is getting used to having me for company. I stayed out there for over an hour and only had far away sightings of the male. I can hear the babies in the nest when she brings them food. I heard these three tunes at different times today and two of them have something in common. I’ll give you a hint: they were on a soundtrack for a movie. And speaking of movies . . . . . . Last night, I watched a foreign film that came highly recommended by the head of our English department at school. Rust and Bone is the story of two lost souls who find strength in each other after the collapse of each of their personal lives. It’s not a happy movie, but it’s not entirely sad either. And I have a total girl crush now on Marion Cotillard. Actually, I’ve always liked her. But in this, she gives an absolutely stellar performance. There are subtitles. But subtitles usually don’t bother me. Rust and Bone is a dark romance, full of grit but also of hope and redemption. It’s a movie that is still with me. Although I recommend, I will say that it’s not for everyone. And with that, I’ll say farewell . . . until tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend. And remember, these are the good old days.

Happy Blooms Day to all. Its Carol's favourite gardening month. Click on pic to see full post.Lots of hot oranges in the garden this month. Above: My Mexican Flame vine planted 3 months ago is catching nicely on the front wall.Below: Bougainvilleas on front wall and garage.Pristine white bougainvillea trellis on bedroom pillar Two cannas are blooming on the back porchI waited 2 years for this Gloriosa lily vine to bloom. It was shaded by a passion fruit vine that is now removed so I think the shade hindered it.Vitex with its delicate lookHot orange cordiaMore hot orange: aloe maculata

Late Sunday afternoon, I poured a cocktail, grabbed my camera and the long lens, and took a camp chair own to the fence line to sit by one of the bluebird boxes where I’d seen some action going on. I wasn’t out there very long, so I didn’t capture much. With bluebirds, I’ve found that you need patience and a chunk of time. I had the former but was running out of light for the latter. Light for the latter. Ok. That sounds odd. The female didn’t seem to have a problem with me sitting there. She continued to feed the babies inside the box after ascertaining that I wasn’t there to cause her grief. If it’s just a male you see bringing food to the box, it usually means that the babies aren’t born yet. The female will be inside, incubating the eggs. She’s about to take off here, but I missed the wing shot by a nano-second. Drat! Housekeeping here. As an aside, I have yet to see a male bluebird cleaning the nest although I have read that both parents share in this duty. This is a fecal sack that t

It was a beautiful weekend and I enjoyed a peaceful Mother’s Day. I took a salad and a dessert to my in-laws house for brunch. I wanted the dessert to be special because it was my mother-in-law’s first Mother’s Day without her youngest son. It’s the holidays that are often the worst when you lose someone, isn’t it? I decided to make a trifle and made the entire dish from scratch using a recipe that I found on Pinterest. My mother-in-law asked me what alcohol I used for it and I said, “What? There’s supposed to be alcohol?!!” I had no idea. But I think everyone enjoyed the first-ever non-alcoholic trifle. I took a picture of it before we left for NJ. Strawberry Holiday Trifle It was a bit time-consuming, but entirely worth it for a special occasion. The custard was surprisingly easy to make. After brunch, we came home to Maryland and I tried to get some pictures of the bluebirds who have nests in nearly every box we have along the fence line. It was a good day. Until tomorrow, my friends ~