007. Of ‘Suns’ & Sparkles (8th Feb 2009) - キラキラの初めて Part 1

*[CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO GET A CLEARER & BIGGER VERSION :)]

Though it isn't very big, there are still patches of mangroves at Punggol, even though a housing development was carried out in that area in the 1980s. But even so, as I tagged along with AY and his friends, some of the more surprising moments were encountered everywhere but in the wetlands. (=

 __
The path (left) the 4 of us took to get to the this particular fragmented mangrove habitat (right) at Punggol. And boy were there many creatures, wee and whopping (okay, maybe not elephant-sized, but you get my point), discovered along our little walk.

__
On our way, we took a rather sandy path (left), and my, were they fine! You don’t usually get to feel such smooth sand unless one heads down to Sentosa. Tall casuarina trees flanked our left (right) while the sea spread out wide on our right. And with the tall, yellow weeds growing alongside with the casuarinas, being there and then, really gives one the savannah feel.

_
One of the most adorable things that we bump into on our way was the juvenile praying mantis. The reason why this carnivore is named as such can be attributed to its prominent front legs, which are bent and held together at an angle that suggests the position of a prayer. [1]

__
The left picture shows a top shot of the insect and the right picture depicts a side view. As it can be clearly seen, there are still some tinges of red on the thorax and abdomen of the mantis.

__
Love must have been air for the Day Flying Moths (Amata huebueri) (edit) as you can see, are rather busy mating. With both their ends ‘fused’ together, this couple were having some rather awkward moments moving. Based on the snapshot taken (right), I have a feeling that the male is the one on the upper left while the female is on the more bottom right. The abdomen of the upper insect looks relatively slender while the one at the lower, right ends seem to bulging. Well, it’s just a speculation. =)

__
(left): Then, there were also a cluster of cotton-stainer bugs (Dysdercus decussatus) within a folded leaf. And one reason they tend to form big groups, is once more due to a sexual objective. This actually helps the insects to find mates. These guys get their names from their transferring of microorganisms that stain the cotton bolls, a favourite which they feed on. In nature, most feed on Portia Tree seeds. But bugs that feed on cotton grow larger and faster. [2]

(right): Besides winged creatures of the 6-legged Class (edit), there were also some feathered ones which we could see soaring with the thermals. One of them, which my camera was fortunate to take a shot of, was the Brahminy Kite (Haliaster indus). This one is probably an adult, as can be seen by their bright-cinnamon rufous (=reddish) wings and a head that’s white in colour (to the breast).

__
Actually, there were 2 of them. And looking at the picture on the right confirms the bird’s identity once more. (= Splendid creatures aren’t they, birds?

__
While AY was busy taking snapshots of a huge seed pod from the plant Canavalia sp. (left) at the edge of the mangroves, my attention was diverted onto this ruby-red dragonfly (Crocothemis servilia) (right) that was perching onto a broken twig. Gorgeous ain’t it? =)

__ 
Of course, the wonders of discovering wild ‘gems’ doesn't just stop there. Just as AY was satisfied with his final shot of the climber Mikania micrantha (however, those flowers (right) belong to a plant of another species) (edit), an Oriental whip snake (Ahaetulla prasina) of emerald-jade coloration decided to spring him a little surprise. ^^v With its body well camouflaged between the green stems of the plant, it’s no wonder we didn’t spot it till the reptile pop its head out from the midst of the bluish-white blooms.

_
Here's a closer look at the snake's head and eyes. Interestingly, the pupils are a horizontal slit instead of the typical vertical line. To get a closer picture, I tried to coax this mildly venomous (edit) snake onto a branch so that we could have a better look at its splendid form. Though it can’t be seen in the right picture, the snake seemed to be almost in strike-position (the S-shaped position of the body). Nothing happened and the snake was released to its own way.

_
And as the morning came to an end, the discovery of wee, interesting creatures did not. Crawling on the lamp post was this interesting caterpillar that brought to my mind swirls of vanilla topped with caramel and oodles of chocolate. Okay, I am a bit weird but this guy was truly a delicious unique find. Not only was its location unique, the fact that it was encase in a cocoon-like casing made it a rather interesting find. I am not sure of the identity though, but I heard that this might be the bag caterpillar.

** My apologies for the previous mistakes, which has been clarified and rectified.
Thanks AY & LK, for pointing out the errors! =)

Reference:
[1] http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/bugs/praying-mantis.html

[2] http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/inverts/cotton_stainer.htm