Flora and Fauna of Tropical Asia
The fascinating world of tropical nature
Swinhoe’s Japalura
It is always a pleasure to learn that a species of animal frequenting your backyard is a unique one, not found anywhere else in the world. Swinhoe’s japalura (Japalura swinhonis) is a species of lizard endemic to the island of Taiwan. And what a stunning animal it is! It’s mane scales give an impression that it wouldn’t be out of place in a jurassic park and although it is certainly no dinosaur, this particular species is reportedly the largest of all japaluras, reaching up to 28 centimetres. It can also adapt to the environment by changing its body… Continue reading
Pink Morning Glory
Some people have asked me what method I use for identifying plants. Well, in the good old days one would turn to a botanical key, but nowadays I find it much easier to search through Google images unti I find the plant or flower I am looking for. First I type a few keywords that best describe the plant (colour, shape or region where it might grow), then click on the “Images” tab. This brings up a large number of pictures that might correspond to the given keywords and a few of them could lead directly to the jackpot. … Continue reading
Indian Lotus on Dapo Lake
We came across this lovely scene last weekend near the town of Chishang (池上) in Taitung County, southern Taiwan. Much of the small lake, which goes under the name of Dapo, was covered by a large colony of blooming Indian lotus flowers (Nelumbo nucifera). Despite its common name, this is a plant native to Taiwan, as well as many tropical regions of Australasia, all the way south to Queensland. The large pink flowers combined with even larger round leaves were a sight to behold, especially when pictured with the rising mountains in the northwest. It was a hot… Continue reading
Night-Blooming Jessamine
A rather ordinary plant, the night-blooming jessamine (Cestrum nocturnum) is widely cultivated in southern Taiwan. I always wondered what makes it so popular until I saw it (and especially smelt it!) under a moonlight. Its thousands of small white flowers gave an eerie feeling of fluorescence while the blossom’s strong sweet scent further enhanced the pleasure of alighting upon this spectacular specimen of the tropics. The most unusual thing about the species is the fact that it releases the perfume only at night, obviously preferring to attract nocturnal insects while relying on visual allure during day time.… Continue reading
Introducing Breadfruit
Once upon a time breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) was the staple diet of many island nations in Polynesia and other parts of the vast South Pacific region. There was even a saying in Tahiti that the very first thing one should do after building a house is to plant a breadfruit tree (or an “uru” as they call it in that part of the world) – that way there will always be food to put on the table. This strong, stately tree can reach over 25 metres in height and the largest specimen may produce as many as 200… Continue reading
The Magnificent Papaya
If you had to pick a tree that best represented the tropics, which one would it be? While there are a number of candidates for the likely symbol of the hot and humid regions, I would probably rate the papaya tree (Carica papaya) near the top. Its long branches stretching horizontally from the crown, the large green to yellow fruits hanging down graciously from the trunk, and the distinctive shape of their leaves give an unusual impression that will enthuse any nature-conscious visitor of the warm climates. This is a tree that is as common and widespread… Continue reading
Skyflower or Pigeon Berry
The exciting and ultimately heartbreaking events of the past three weeks (the laying of eggs, their successful hatching, and the tragic deaths of the four bulbul chicks, not even a week old, made me wonder about the bush the birds chose as the location for their nest. After some research on the Internet I learnt the plant’s common name (Skyflower or Pigeon Berry) and its scientific name (Duranta erecta). Although it originates from tropical Americas, it’s very popular in southern Taiwan, presumably due to the abundance of the small blue flowers it produces throughout the year.… Continue reading
The Predator – Grey Treepie
The bulbul nest is now empty. It was a sad end of a rather exciting week which provided us with a rare opportunity to witness the arrival of new life – in the form of four helpless, naked and blind baby birds, totally dependent on their parents to bring them to adulthood. It wasn’t meant to be. As I watched the distressed bulbul mother arrive at her empty nest for the last time, realising that all that herculean effort she had put into bringing up her four offsprings came to nothing, I felt like crying. And yet, this… Continue reading
Battle for Survival
Bad news – two of the baby bulbuls were lost yesterday afternoon. I don’t know if this was a case of the mother abandoning the two weakest individuals (I believe some birds to this in order to give the strongest ones a better chance to survive) or a result of predator activity. Given the fact that I found bits and pieces of the baby birds scattered on the lawn not too far from the nest, I am inclined to believe the latter. I had been especially concerned about a possible threat posed by the White-vented Myna (Acridotheres javanicus),… Continue reading
Meet the (Bulbul) Parents
I was finally able to take a few decent shots of the bulbul couple (Pycnonotus taivanus) that set up residence in low bushes right at the entrance of our house. I have taken more pictures of the female who seems to be the only one looking after the little ones. The male does show up from time to time, as if to assert his right over the territory around the nest, but otherwise leaves all the feeding duties to his companion. As one would imagine, the female bulbul gets very busy since feeding four hungry mouths does take… Continue reading