Peirce Reservoir

One way to escape from the heat of the morning is to go into a secondary forest and that was what we did after breakfast. The boardwalk allowed us to walk amongst tall trees enjoying their shade while looking for signs of insect life. Initially, we were rather disappointed as there was hardly anything flying or buzzing around. But things got better as we walked closer to the edge of the Peirce reservoir.

The boardwalk was an excellent idea for nature to be enjoyed by everyone.

Tree trunks have interesting patterns that define their individuality.

Growing creatively.

Good information boards about the flora and fauna.

The king of berries saying hello.

Much undergrowth has been stripped.

My favourite palm - the Nibong Palm.

I spotted this tiny praying mantis.

It's not the normal green specie that we are more acquainted with.

My bet is that a snail did this.

Toothpicks anyone?

A beetle trying to hide from me.

I almost missed seeing this dragonfly.

A water droplet encasing a berry. 

The wings are so finely crafted that they are invisible from afar.

The skeleton of a leaf.

Awesome vines.

Part of the Nibong Palm. Lovely texture.

Dry it and make something beautiful out of it.

The Awesome vine again.

Wasp feeding on a spider.

Patterns of nature.

A golden dragonfly.

This butterfly loves to pose.

Grasshopper waiting.

Aren't these leaves simply lovely?

Variegated leaves, I think.

Another poser butterfly. Stayed for so many shots.

Out of about 10 shots, only this one of this busy wasp was all right.

This tree had so many of these moths on its branches.

Seems to be producing some kind of yarn.

My best shots of the day!

My camera was just about millimeters from its face.

From Lower Peirce Reservoir we drove to Upper Peirce.

Dragonflies here are brighter in colour - A pink one!

A golden yellow dragonfly with wings so fine you cannot see them clearly.

Even the butterfly here looks cheerier than those in the jungle.

Venus Drive

 The carpark of the Venus Drive trail is the starting point of the walk to the Tree-top Walk in the MacRitchie Nature Reserve. Our interest in insects took us along part of this trail to as far as the Ranger's Station. The weather was sunny and hot when we started out and as we entered the forest trail leading us to the Ranger's Station, the sky turned dark and rain was impending. When we started to retrace our steps back to the carpark, we were caught in a heavy downpour. Luckily we had a big umbrella with us and managed to avoid being drenched as we sought shelter at the Singapore Island Country Club carpark. The downpour was short-lived and soon the sky cleared and we continued our walk in a cool and refreshed environment.

My first insect encounter - a lovely, red dragonfly.

A sunbird flitting from branch to branch looking for food.

A pond-skater.

A big dragonfly resting on a fern sprig.

One of many unfurled fern fronds that I saw.

A butterfly turning its back on me.

That's how creepers strangle a tree to death.

Butterfly wing.

Would you have a date with me tonight?

Rambutans were aplenty and the monkeys were really happy.

Fruit of the fig tree, one of several that I came across.

Fig trees showing off their fruits.

A flowering Singapore Rhododendron bush.

The flowers attracted bees and wasps.

A tall rattan plant reaching out to the clouds.

Time for a drink of nectar.

Another unfurled fern frond.

Another red dragonfly.

My colours may be dull  but I am fast in the air.

A handsome beetle.

I do not like to use the camera flash, so I held my breath for this shot.

Sound of flowing water is always calming for the soul.

A leaf-hopper that has two horns.

Something is decaying and boy was it a feast for so many flies, wasps and other bugs.

A palm-size fungus with lovely outlines.

Friends enjoying a morning outing.

This specie of dragonfly habitually rests on tree trunks.

Nature's art.

A long-horn beetle, the highlight of the walk.

A gigantic ant hurried by.

Would have been a treat if a  colugo was around.

Berries for the birds.

A beautiful cockroach.

This insect is an Assassin bug.

Seeds that appeared to be cocooned in red thread.

Perfect symmetry.

Fruits of the Rattan plant.

New leaves.

After the rain, the butterflies came out to feed.

Venus Drive, the part that cannot be accessed by the general public because it is a private road.

Just before turning into the Venus Drive carpark.

Lovely tall palms at the entrance to the carpark.

I just love this clump of willow trees.