Andrea's Plants, Photos and Travels

Hello Singapore! continued

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 06:26:00 +0000

The first part of this topic was posted earlier (Part I, plse click here). I opted to post a continuation because there are more pictures that might give more information. Actually this includes mostly those we visited at the end of the day at the Gardens by the Bay. These include the Supertrees and the OCBC Aerial Walkway. It was spectacular for me while still in the experience, so i hope i can impart some of my feelings through my pictures.

Gardens by the Bay covers 101 hectares of reclaimed land adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. The team who planned about these gardens have exceptional futuristic ideas that they were able to manifest through the technologies already present today.

some of the Supertrees, made of structural metals and steel, a feat of

engineering and architecture

trunks of the supertrees have vertical gardens automatically maintained by computers

a ground view of the OCBC aerial walkway connected by two supertrees

the aerial walkway

I already admitted in the first post that i have some height freight, so these super-elevated walkways are challenging for me. Moreso, the walkway has some slight movements as it is suspended and attached only on two ends. I always hold on the rails even if its length is closely covered on both sides.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel viewed at the aerial walkway

The number of persons allowed to the aerial walkway was controlled. We were lucky to be on top when the sunset horizons changed colors.

sunset horizon colors are changing now

am so glad to be on top when this happened

Even the moon surprised us by its presence

view of the ground from the aerial walkway

Viewed from the top, this looks like a giant soup bowl with toppings.

Together with the rest of the tourists, we stayed as toppings in the giant soup bowl as we viewed the Rhapsody of Light with the wonderful music.

The color changes and permutations are certainly more spectacular and awesome in the actual show. My photos will not justify the reality of the sight. You need to experience them yourselves!

After the Rhapsody of Light we took a taxi to the famous hawkers food plaza in Singapore. There are lots of people, seemingly all chairs were taken by different nationalities, young and old. This is at the other side of the garden, and the view is also exceptionally wonderful.

another view to the right of the Marina Bay Sands

We can already go home, it was already a complete experience.

Hello Singapore!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 12:34:00 +0000

Singapore is very near Manila, Philippines. Going there timewise is just like going to Bangkok, Hongkong or Taiwan. Transits to other countries are either in Hongkong or Singapore, a very busy airport. I am amazed that i've been to many countries but i have not been to Singapore! I am still curious why i have not been there. So last April-May with my sister and niece we spent a whole week there, with the last two days in Kuala Lumpur before coming back to Manila.

I know Singapore is beautiful, orderly and specifically more of a shopping city because friends go there for that. But i am wrong, it is truly lovely even without going to the shops. We just followed the normal tourist destinations, taking MRT most of the time, bus and taxi going to nearby areas. The mass transport system is convenient except for the long walks to change trains. And my not so young legs sometimes complain. I will just be showing some photos in my files, as this time i did not get much pictures like what i usually do in other places.

The Chijmes Hall

A formerly Catholic Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus, a 19th century Neogothic Chapel is now a Heritage Site, being used as a function hall for weddings and events.

Inside the Chijmes Hall

Flower Dome in Gardens by the Bay South Gardens

We were lucky that a European Gardens Exhibit plus some other countries plants are on display during our visit. My niece was so elated to see the tulips, which otherwise will only be seen in pictures. There was also an ongoing Dutch Food Show and exhibit, wo we tried most of the food.

one of the garden exhibits at the Flower Dome

Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay

Stairways and elevators bring tourists to the different levels of this structure, until they reach the ultimate challenge: traversing the suspended semi-circular bridges that make you feel you are really on top of the trees.

My height freight did not allow me much enjoyment of the suspended bridges on the clouds. My niece has to hold my arms while i am slowly navigating it to reach the end, where the down elevators are located. I have to focus my eyes above my eye level, refraining to look downwards at the sides. I tell you my heart beat faster than usual, at least blood pressure did not soar up too.

The high elevation plants are acclimatized very well, growing luxuriously on those automatically maintained vertical gardens. I saw lots of our endemic plants growing well there, even our endemic orchids and epiphytes. I need more time for the plant details, but we must move faster to cover more grounds.

I am too fascinated with these structures, magnifying glasses for the minute flowers to be appreciated better. I spent more time here that my companions had to call my attention to go forward.

The tree at the left is a very tall conifer, planted a few floors above ground. This portion is almost at the end of the walkway bridge, and i am not much scared anymore. I can now even take photos of my companions. Just a few more steps and the downward elevator is already there.

And this is the view of the surreal gardens. The Garden's 18 Supertrees are all at Bay South. The tallest steel-framed concrete structure is 50 m tall while the shortest is 25 m. The OCBC aerial walkway is connected to the 2 super trees at 128 m long.

More pictures about these structures and the OCBC walkway will be for the next post.

On the Way Home

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 09:29:00 +0000

Hello everyone! When i started a 2nd blogspot, i relegated this to my travels. Circumstances however were not very favorable for me to do that, so this one got lagged while the other one has been so busy. It was assigned for the plants and biodiversity in my garden and nearby areas. Suffice it to say, i now just realized that it is almost one year that this has not been given any entry. Maybe i just got too busy too because i can always put some minor travels here. That is how i will start with my posts here again.

I work in the big city which is just 3 hrs by bus from my house in the province. This travel time cannot materialize these days when our highways, streets and even expressways are normally full of transport vehicles. There are only a very short window on Saturday early mornings when i can travel home by bus at the shortest time of 4 hours. Most other days, we loose at least 5 hours inside the buses. At least the buses are comfortable with TV or music and passengers can recline seats and sleep. Most buses also have WiFi on board.

One morning bus i took one Saturday morning is not full. It is a bit perplexing that only a few passengers are here. I was fascinated with the decorations inside the bus.

i like the pair of light filters with doggy in the basket

another pair of stuffed toy hanging at the side of the driver, aren't they cute.

We are at the middle of the rainy season so you can see all green everywhere, crops here are growing nicely with the regular rains.

above fields could be cassava plants, while at the back are still for planting

The STAR Tollway, the expressway direct to the Batangas International Port

the signboardd shows where we are going

above photo was shot last May, remnants of the dry season fire trees along the highway

These fire trees, Delonix regia, is an introduced species but already naturalized here. It provides a colorful happy view on the otherwise all green landscape. It is a very welcome sight along the travel routes. Other highways also plant more of these for better vibes.

Skywatching Pastime

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 05:51:00 +0000

There are very few weekends i don't go home to the province for the butterflies and hoyas. Looking for butterflies means i have to go for a walk to the slightly wild surroundings or to the less traveled paths; that i have to encounter a lot of mosquitoes, insects, spiders and their webs on my body and a lot more of unexpected incidents, nice and bad! These walks end with itchy skin, though i use rash guards, sometimes scratches or when i inadvertently slip there are some bruises. Sometimes these stayed with me for the next few days while already in the office in the city. But that is my body complaining, yet my mind and heart is contented and happy. I love doing it and will continue till i still can. Meanwhile, i am now in the city, did not go home, intended to rest and clean my condo unit, and do whatever task i've always laid aside.

So when these weekends happen, i always have the sunsets to have a semblance of being with nature while inside the concrete jungle! The photos are all taken from the 5th Floor Window!

I included the dates and time the pictures are taken. They are all Straight out of the Camera, no alterations, not even cropping.

Friday, October 12, 2018; 5:55pm.

The moon is already visible at the west as the night sets in.

Saturday, October 20, 2018; 5:08pm.

Saturday, October 20, 2018; 5:13pm.

Saturday, October 20, 2018; 5:14pm.

Sunday, October 21, 2018; 5:03pm.

Saturday, October 21, 2018; 5:39pm.

Saturday, October 21, 2018; 5:40pm.

Saturday, October 21, 2018; 5:41pm.

Skywatch Friday

Try the Road Less Travelled: Continued

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 06:55:00 +0000

I have earlier posted here the first segment of the "Try the Road Less Travelled" posts. Then a second segment, Attempt for the Extreme, was posted in an online US magazine, Mother Earth Living. I still have lots of photos to share so here is another part of that week-long escapade.

In one of those days we returned to our cottage earlier in the evening. That seems to be not conforming to the normal days we have, which normally starts very early and ends very late. So we maximized the time by passing by a mangrove area very near the sea. We hurriedly walked through the bamboo foot bridges through the mangrove trees because we can see the sunset rays seeping through the trees seemingly very inviting. Literally we ran to catch the sunset. And here are some of the episodes.

Top and below are some of the most naughty pictures from that sojourn. Our two men companions hurriedly posed for a crime drama! As three of us ladies were taking their photos, we simultaneously were laughing so hard for the scenes they portrayed. One was raising his hands in submission of guilt, while the other is attacking him with the bolo.

This is not a very obvious scene, but one is supposedly doing the guillotine to his companion. That was a morbid scene, but we just cooperated in taking the naughty photos. We just fulfilled the drama without any conversations.

Each one of us took chances in posing for our silhouettes among the branches, illuminated by the fast receding sunset. We were so quick because the sun cannot wait for us for better poses. That was I above joining the certificate of appearance poses.

One of our male companions is a herpetology hobbyist, so we all chimed in that a big snake is trying to impress us! It even showed its toungue to us. Do you see our Sunset Snake?

an idyllic sunset photo

there was even the moon at the east, but is still dim because the sun is still bright

my small lens cannot give justice to the rising moon at the east

Nature Notes
Our World Tuesday
Through My Lens

Skywatching Again

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 08:17:00 +0000

Skywatching at the 5th Floor Window

Skywatch Friday

Another Try on the Road Less Travelled

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 05:58:00 +0000

It felt like i am doing the unusual at my age. I have not been doing these things in my younger years, and now before i really call myself an old lady, which i might am already being called that by younger ones, i joined some expeditions with real hard core mountaineers, sea experts, and extreme adventurers! To places not ventured by many, nor by tourists, there we go. I've done that in November last year to Palawan also with the same persons, and that time we traversed very difficult rugged, rocky and slippery roads backriding daily for several hours on motorbikes. Then last January i joined a lady friend in this group to the island of Sabtang, Batanes in the northernmost islands of the Philippines for a traverse hike from east coast to west coast. This April, we went to Palawan again for another unusual itinerary. We were three ladies here, guided by our ever reliable, responsible, caring two new friends. And this time i hope i have already a fulfilled soul.

We were supposedly a group chasing and photographing butterflies, but instead we tried enjoying the place, whatever we can cover. We hiked for waterfalls, crossed several rivers, camped in beaches, stayed for a night in a deserted island, climbed a mountain of caves complexes, looked for snakes a night in the forest, and a lot more! I guess in totality that is not a simple feat done in 6 days, the 7th we returned home.

(photo credit: not mine)
We were looking for the path to a low mountain called the Devil's Peak. Our two guys tried clearing the vegetation to pass through. It turned out nobody seems to have gone there for a couple of years, so the path is already like a forest again. We used up our time clearing the way, so we just climbed half-way because we lacked time. We returned to the beach camp before it got dark.

(photo credit: not my photo)
Our age differences are in decades; 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. The men are in the lowest brackets. Who says old women cannot do the jump shot!

(photo credit: not mine)

When we are bound to go back, frustrated of not conquering this peak, we just opted to have photo shoots of ourselves inside the forest.

(photo credit: not mine)

In another day, we crossed 4 rivers and 2 streams in between kilometers of hiking uphill, just to see a waterfalls. The water is not very deep, just above the knees of my companions. The sad part for the water level is, that level is already almost near my waist! I am the shortest among us, haha!

(photo credit: not mine)
Look at the normal pace of the pack, the one with the shortest legs is always left behind with a wide distance between them. At the above picture, we will still traverse that ridge, and the falls is down at the other side.

(photo credit: not mine)
The rivers are not always smooth with just plane water. It is good that there is no strong current, but the rocks beneath are very slippery that i once slipped, wetting my whole body. There are also crossings with big rocks and boulders like that above, but we always have time for anything unusual like a very big praying mantis we saw on that rock!

(photo credit: not mine)
This is the small motor boat that carried us to the Tabon Caves Complex, an hour and a half from Quezon Beach. It was originally an island but has now attached to the mainland by mangrove forset. The skull of the Tabon man, supposedly the earliest Homo sapiens in the Philippines was found in one of the caves in Tabon, Lipuun Point, Quezon. The skull and jawbone were said to be remains of three people who lived in these caves 16,500 years ago. (However, in 2010 another metatarsal was found in Callao Caves, Cagayan and dated to be 67,000 years old). Some of the caves in Tabon are said to be Stone Factory, while others are burial caves for the Tabon people. Roughly 238 caves are found but only 12 are open to the public. We went to just 6 caves, which are the easier ones to visit.

(photo credit: not mine)

Concrete stairways are already built to the more accessible caves, with rails for support. There are very steep stairs and there are undulating ones which cascade to the more level areas. Unfortunately during our visit, the rails are full of ants that we cannot just hold on them for support. We just relied on our own two feet.

One of the entrances to the caves, with apparent stalactites from the roof. The Tabon Complex has already been proclaimed in 1972 as a National Protected Area.

(photo credit: not mine)

Each cave has a different characteristics, because those considered burial caves have been cleaned of stalactites and stalagmites, making the roof like a clear dome.

Another cave with still growing stalactites and stalagmites. Mosses, lichens and fungi sometimes give different colors to portions of the caves, giving almost discernible figures of faces and animals.

Our first camp near the beach is full of coconut trees. We attached 2 hammock in these trees and we had four separate tents.

My extremely adventurous lady companion can even climb very tall coconuts. She actually just climbed it for the picture, which i took lying on the sand, there was no coconut fruit gathered there. She seemed not to have any difficulty at all, going up and down! Look her weight seemed to be only on the right foot, she is not even holding on tightly there. Oh My God, i cannot even lift my behind even for just a meter up.

More posts on this trip will be posted soon!

More Sunsets

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 31 May 2018 09:09:00 +0000

Our sunsets before the rainy season are always spectacular. Whether we view them near bodies of water or from mountains or from our windows, they are always beautiful. And scenes always change within that short span of 15-30 minutes before and after the sun sets. Here are another set from my 5th Floor Window. They are all SOOC.

Skywatch Friday

Sky Watch May 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 24 May 2018 01:32:00 +0000

When there are plenty of things we are obliged to do,
but the call for blogging is urging us too,
what will i do!

I am so privileged, as i have lots of sunsets from my 5th Floor Window. And i can post them SOOC, straight ouf of the camera.

There really are times when there are lots of photos to post, from flowers-to critters-to waterfalls-to travels. Yet the inspiration of bunching them up together in a post is not enough to push us on. Yet at other times, the push to post is seemingly more urgent despite lots of more things that needed attention. So here i am, being suddenly swayed by the push....

And here are my Sunsets for Rescue, all taken at wide angle of the same horizon (pls. mouse over to enlarge).

Skywatch Friday

Some Critter Finds

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Fri, 11 May 2018 05:06:00 +0000

As a regular morning habit when i am at home in the province, i have coffee and a little bread, lug the camera and my eye drops, and go find the butterflies. But in the course of looking for the butterflies i also see lots of unusual little entities. Sometimes i know them, and sometimes don't. Truth is, most of the time i don't! When this happens more time are devoted to scrutinizing and photographing them. In return, sometimes i miss the butterflies. Anyway, these finds are interesting too.

Cotton bug, Dysdercus cingulatus. It might look beautiful, but it devours the pedicels of my hoya buds. In the past i just allow them there, but when i saw the damage on my plants, i drive them away or make things difficult for them. However, i don't use insecticide so they are still around.

Spiders are also common residents in my garden and surrounding environment.

This could be a jumping spider, but i don't know its ID yet.

Hawkmoths are regular pests of my caladium. Sometimes i go home finding all the leaves gone. When i feel that they have already pupated, i look for the pupa beneath the plant and photograph them. Once, i reared the pupa to eclosion, so i know that the above is Pergesa acteus.

Picture below is very dark, probably another hawkmoth. I do not have the time to rear it, so i am not sure of the ID. I just guess that it is Theretra oldenlandiae. It also has many hostplants.

This is an exoskeleton of the pale green awlet, Bibasis gomata syn. Burara gomata.

Its host plant is the green Schefflera. I have not seen their larvae nor the live pupa, and i have seen the adult only once. I wish to see them earlier next time to document the life cycle.

a very thorny head of a moth catterpillar, later when i poked on it, i realized it is already dead

nymp of a stink bug

bag moth

another bag moth

another kind of bag of a third bag moth

I realized this moths have different bags that house them which serve as their camouflage. They also pupate inside and later emerge at the bottom portion during eclosion as adult moth. Actually, i have not seen an adult moth coming from this bags. I just saw them in pictures. If i have enough time, which could be later, i will rear them in nearby vicinity so i can also document the adults emerging from them.

Butterflies of Batanes II

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 06:38:00 +0000

I have long been attempting to post this second part of the Batanes Butterflies, but something seems to be more urgent always. I have uploaded the first few, and i have forgotten all about it. Now i am trying to fill the gap. This trip in Batanes is purposely to look for butterflies, exploratory, and we wouldn't have seen them if we did not courageously decided on a traverse hike from one seashore to another seashore of Sabtang Island through the mountain range. This hike was posted HERE earlier while the first post on butterflies is HERE.

We were almost disappointed at the residential areas near the seashores because it is too windy, the breeze has salt contents and we only saw the tiny blues. In the mountains, it is a different story.

Top and Bottom: WHITE TIGER

Danaus melanippus edmondii Lesson 1837

Nymphalidae; Danainae; Danaini

White Tigers are a bit common in that area of the mountain. We saw a few individuals although they are not very cooperative. At least we were able to get these shots.

BUSHBROWN
Mycalesis igoleta igoleta C. & R. Felder 1863
Nymphalidae; Satyrinae

BUSHBROWN

Mycalesis igoleta igoleta C. & R. Felder 1863 (extreme dry season form)

Nymphalidae; Satyrinae

We have lots of this in our area in the province. However, my first look here says it is a different species. Later confirmation by our butterfly expert says it is the same Bushbrown, although the very less discernible spots on both upper and lower wings say it is an extreme dry season form. I have seen Dry Season Forms in my area during this hot conditions, and there still are bigger spots compared to this one.

LESSER CRUISER
Vindula dejone dejone Erichson 1834

Nymphalidae; Nymphalinae; Heliconiini

This was so high up on trees and didn't give us more chances for pictures. This shot only give us a few details to identify it. It was a worn-out one though, but this is the only one we met on the way.

DARK CERULEAN
Jamides bochus pulchrior Grose-Smith 1895
Lycaenidae; Lycaeninae; Polyommatini

Top and Bottom 2: LIME BLUE

Chilades lajus athena C. & R. Felder 1865

Lycaenidae; Lycaeninae; Polyommatini

Lime Blue is a lifer for me. My buddy went ahead to the nook as it was already very hot outside, we are bathing in sweat. When this butterfly arrives giving me some difficulty. But despite the heat and itchy feelings from the weeds, i was able to take some photos. It is my first time to see this, a lifer, ; eventually, the Philippine Lepidoptera Group administrator said Batanes is a new location for this find. I am glad i persisted on it and ignored the heat.

Top and Bottom: GREAT ORANGE TIP
Hebomoia glaucippe philippensis Wallace 1863
Pieridae; Pierinae

This Orange Tip also gave me a difficult time. It flips and leaves so quickly from a perch that a lot of photos did not give me much descent ones. Moreover, the 2nd perch is so far from the previous spot that it was difficult to follow. I even wonder if the flitting seconds already gave it the chance to get some nectar!

GREAT ORANGE TIP
Hebomoia glaucippe philippensis Wallace 1863
Pieridae; Pierinae

COMMON MORMON
Menelaides polytes ledebouria
Papilionidae, Papilioninae, Papilionini

One funny thing about our traverse climb is the presence of this Common Mormon all throughout our hike. It has been there from the beginning and didn't leave us till we were back to where we started. Actually, there are a few of them, and they exchange roles in being on our path. They just fly low and alight low on the weeds. They just seem to be always on our line of sight, and that gave it the title "Guide", our little pet on the way. Sometimes it was gone for a few minutes, then when it appeared again we both said "hi guide". We even kiddingly said goodbye to it as we leave the mountain and approach the area of humans.

Idea leuconoe larva

We also saw lots of paperkites, Idea leuconoe. But they are mostly on top of trees or flying high on areas on the cliffs. They always have the characteristic-dainty-flying white butterflies, but they are mostly in too difficult places for us to photograph. We just content ourselves watching them, and at least we knew they are found in Sabtang, Batanes.

Autumn Leaf larvae on Pseuderanthemum reticulatum
Doleschallia bisaltide philippensis Fruhstorfer 1899
Nymphalidae; Nymphalinae; Nymphaliini

Camera Critters

Butterflies of Batanes

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 05:25:00 +0000

I have visited Batanes for different reasons. The first trip that was eight years ago was an exploratory adventure type. The 3 of us just let anything go, to wherever seems to be the place at that very moment, and it was fun. The second was when i joined a hobbyist photography group, where i know only of a very few people from a previous photowalk. This third and latest travel was with a travel buddy who went there for the first time. And of course, our purpose is to look for butterflies. This is also the reason i experienced a traverse hike to the other side of the mountains, walking through mountain invisible paths that only my travel buddy's feet know where to go. It seems like just a joke now, but for me that hike was endowed with a lot of good luck! To be back home without any incident but some aching legs and mucles is mainly good luck.

So it is but a necessity to be posting here what we were there for: the BUTTERFLIES. In the beginning we felt like maybe we will not see much. It is windy, air is salty, and the islands are really not big. We started first with some spotting in street sidewalks and in church yards where there are some nectar plants.

Part I.

Many of our first finds are the very small lycaenids exemplified by the Lesser Grass Blue, Zizina otis oriens. They mostly occupy the grasses and weeds lower than a foot tall, basically just on the ground. Throughout many areas in the 2 islands this Lesser Grass Blue predominates in number. I just wonder if it is a characteristics of the subspecies in Batanes, but they seem to be more grayish and the design not of a very clear detail, as what we have in our area in the mainland Luzon.

Clockwise L-R top and bottom: Taractrocera luzonensis, Borbo cinnara, Oriens californica. Skippers are not plenty in Batanes, both in Batan and Sabtang.

Mimeusemia sp.

Noctuidae; Agaristinae

On our last free afternoon in Batan Island, we walked the street to find any clearing where there might be some possible insects, whatever they are. And in a clump of lantana camara luxuriously growing in an open grassland, we found this moth.

There are many more butterflies we documented, especially from our traverse hike to the other side of the mountain range. But that will be posted in the 2nd part of this topic, as the pictures are already so heavy for just one topic.

More next time folks. I promise, they are the bigger butterflies!

Sunset Sky Mean Something

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 03:55:00 +0000

Our temperatures from the middle of February this year just soared as if it is already the end of April. For the past years those conditions made us impatiently wait for the coming heavy rains because we cannot seem to tolerate anymore the HEAT we were experiencing. It was a total surprise for us that we already experience it in mid-February! Can you imagine a Heat Index of 39°C! And in the province in the north which had it at 42°C there are a few individuals who suffered strokes and high blood pressures. Climate change is very real, and the effects are so quick with us.

But the truth is we are not yet officially in the Dry Season, as it is forecasted that there will still be easterlies coming to us. Easterlies bring us here the slightly "colder" temperatures, or someone from the "real"cold country want me to call it "slightly less hot temperatures". Of course, our temperatures no matter which you pick from the range is always hot for those living away from the equator. Our coldest in our temperature range is still higher than their summer. Being here all my life, i don't know how to live there. But now, i tell you it is really hot as in HOT!

At least i get lovely sunsets!

the widest angle i can get didn't have any cloud except those near the sun at the lowest horizon , (10mm lens)

From the previous series of photos as the sun sets, you will see the vast cloudless sky, only a little clouds near the horizon. It was a great expanse of clear blue as seen by naked eyes. Although i don't have the capacity to capture it well by camera.

the next day it was this

again another day after that, still with very vast clear sky

somehow a few strips of clouds appeared the other day

Skywatch Friday

Early Morning at Sabtang Lighthouse

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 08:25:00 +0000

We stayed for 3 nights on my third visit to Sabtang, Batanes. We even used 2 homestays on those 3 nights, 1st is at the Sabtang Lighthouse near the port. It was awesomely located on a promontory and the homestay is literally at the foot of the Lighthouse. Apparently, the lighthouse is on a private land and since the location is very idyllic the landowner decided to utilize this unique location for a homestay. At present there are 3 small cottages there with a few rooms each, me and my buddy stayed with a mother and son team. They were at the room and we at the livingroom, which was fun. There is a common bathroom and a kitchen. We all left to roam around in the morning and we transfered to another homestay in Chavayan on our 2nd and 3rd night. Of course our days seem to be very short to roam around the island.

We were literally forced by the sunrise to come out early and experience its effects on the landscape. Unfortunately, due to the urgency of the moment i was not able to bring with me the better camera in recording the sunrise. So i just have these photos to at least show you a semblance of the truth.

This promontory is on an almost vertical ridge from the sea level. We explored every nooks and crannies to get most angles of the landscape.

To our right is the Sabtang port and the business center, where houses and some government offices are located, together with the school and the church. It actually is a very small community.

At the lower left are stairway steps to an almost secret cove where visitors can privately swim or have picnic near the water.

It is windy and a bit cold to our standards in the tropics. By this time the sun is already up, we just cannot get in yet for breakfast as there still are some subjects to photograph, like ourselves.

My travel buddy, unlike me, is not afraid of heights nor depths. She prefers going to scary places. That area she was on is already a very steep vertical ridge, a slip will bring you down to the very sharp rocks below! By the way, that island at the horizon is Batan Island, where the airport is, and concentration of commerce and people are located.

It is nice to watch big waves breaking on the boulders. This just looks small because our location on the top gives us an angle that projects shorter sizes.

A nicer designed stone cottage is at the back, i surely prefer that cottages here should have been designed like that. However, the cottage at the right is already a modern structure, almost like a temporary makeshift cottage in the area.

The view to the mountains, where cattles and goats roam freely to graze.

Again, that is my extreme adventurer travel buddy looking for more difficult areas to explore. Despite my already softening knees, trembling while looking at her location, i still have to get this picture to document what she has been through. I actually don't know how she was able to get there! And with all my summoned courage i immediately press the shutter to be done with and already go to safer grounds. Her passions even made this trip more memorable.

Our World Tuesday
Nature Notes

Traverse Hike from Chavayan to Sumnanga Batanes

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 09:31:00 +0000

The Batanes group of islands is the northernmost part of the Philippines. But the waters in between the mainland Luzon and Batanes is wide and not very friendly for travelers, so the only option for tourists is by plane. There is even a joke that Batanes is even nearer Taiwan than the mainland Luzon. Not many Filipinos reach Batanes because of the difficulty going there and the cost of travel. The main island is Batan whose capital is Basco, where the airport is located, Sabtang is the 2nd most inhabited island and often visited by tourists aside from Basco. Sabtang is 30-40 min boat ride from Basco depending on the conditions of the waters.

Our stay in Chavayan, Sabtang, Batanes would not have been very significant if not for the trek we did to Sumnanga, a residential area at the other side of the mountains. We decided to do a traverse to look for butterflies, so we left our Homestay at 8:00am after breakfast. The path was the old Procession Route considered short cut because there was a longer path starting from the other end of Chavayan. The start was laden with medium sized stones, i assumed put there because it was so muddy during rainy days. The farmers also use the path going to their farms in the mountains, bringing their cattles or goats to pasture, and people in Sumnanga said they passed that road to attend fiesta in Chavayan.

This is just maybe a few hundred meters uphill from Chavayan, the road is still
clear and we still see some farmers going to their farms.

We climbed inclines, crossed creeks, scrutinized vegetation to discern the real path,

and as we get higher we get better views of the mountain ranges. We only stopped

when we see some butterflies, of course we will take all possibilities just

to take their pictures. .

we stop if there are some interesting something even not butterflies

it is easier if there are trees like this, with signs of being trimmed in the past

It is amazing to have a travel buddy who has GPS in her feet, because they seem to know where to go in cases like the above! We encountered lots of these chaos throughout this hike. I didn't put on rash guards on my arms, so i had some itchy markings that are still with me even after 2 weeks.

There are crossings where we spent a few minutes looking for the real original path and not just another path to individual farms. As we go higher the vegetation becomes denser and the real path got lost to weeds and bushes. Of course we were walking slow specially if there are butterflies, and we saw some though most are on top of the trees, sunning themselves there to dry. At the summit we had a little dilemma as the paths really got lost, aggravated by a fire consuming the cogon grasses. We were lucky most of the grasses are still green, so we were able to cross it, downward at the mountain side. In these parts there really was no path anymore. We passed by a fern-landscaped area, a cogonal area, and some tree-tunneled areas delineating the old route. It is easier if those trees are still there, showing the signs of trimming creating the tunnel effect. We joked that there was the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel".

OMG, there is fire! How can we cross that?

downward now to wherever our feet will lead us

at last we saw Vuhus Island at the horizon, we are on the right track, just down there is Sumnanga

We walked relentlessly, and we reached Sumnanga after 5 hrs. After a few minutes of looking for tricycles to bring us to Chavayan, we learned that there are only 2 there and the owners are at the other island tending cattles. We had no choice but to go back to the path where we just came by. OMG! My travel buddy was worried for me, so she took all the contents of my backpack leaving only my small camera on my neck. At 2 pm we left Sumnanga for the return hike, this time we did it faster for 2 hours, already forgetting the butterflies. Or else we might really get lost if it gets dark.

That really brought me some sore muscles!

can you imagine this as a path?!!!

that is my backpack clinging now at my buddy's backpack

i can now appreciate the quality of the paths and i documented them on our return

At last that is already Chavayan beach, and in a little while we can rest. A few

hundred meters and we are already home for dinner and sleep.

Below are some butterflies we saw, and some other interesting finds.

a wasp moth

a white tiger butterfly, Danaus melanipus edmondii

an extremely dry season form of Bush Brown, Mycalesis igoleta

lovely mushrooms on decaying trunk

(Post Script: This would not have been possible if not for my very responsible, effcient, caring, very good mountaineer buddy Linda Alisto, whose intuition in finding the path is very concise.)

Through My Lens

Our World Tuesday

Image-in-ing

A hurried visit to Sumnanga

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 08:14:00 +0000

Upon arrival at Sabtang Island after lunch, our guide tricyle took us to Sumnanga, a fishing village at the other side of the mountains from Sabtang Centro. It was through the north side. We did not go there during my first 2 visits. Roads to Sumnanga are more difficult than other roads in Sabtang Island. The roads are more narrow and steeper, and there are also some roads under construction.

We did not have the usual itinerary so we can tell the guide where we want to go. We actually have only 3 hours to spare before it gets dark, so we were actually hurried.

Above is one of the steep rockies on the roadside to Sumnanga. Tricycles there now have cogon roofs that entice tourists. That is ours, i rode at the side car, while my buddy rode at the back side of the driver. My travel buddy has a penchance for a little extreme, she is not scared of depths nor heights, and she wants these feats documented. I do not share such, so i normally do the photography.

She likes high places. At her left is a very steep wall to the sea, and my phobia will not

allow me to stand on that ledge. Sometimes when she does that,

my knees want to buckle down and I actually feel them weaken !

After about 40 min. we are in the fishing village of Sumnanga. There are the typical legendary stone houses of Batanes. Only a few houses are in this village. Above is another group of houses at the other side of a hill, and they call this Little Hongkong. I have been to Hongkong, but i don't see the comparison. Maybe it is in a part of Hongkong that is far from the tourists usual destinations. Actually it is a small cove.

This is the view immediately catching one's attention in entering the village. Those rockies are very typical hardened lava from some volcanic eruption. I think Batanes in the past are under water, just emerged by some volcanic eruptions and tectonic movements. Those white patches on the rocks are drying cuttlefish backbones. That is a small falowa boat for fishing.

Most men from this village are also cattle raisers at the Vuhus Island, which is only devoted for cattle grazing. It is about 30min from Sumnanga Island by smaller falowa boats.

A small red falowa boat; and a very big papaya that fell off the tree because of its heavy weight. It is almost as long as the cart, at 2 ft long.

My travel buddy tried pushing the cart of the local resident.

typical stone house in Batanes, but this one is smaller than those in other parts of Sabtang

those are flying fish being dried; one-day old fish like these are preferred by the Ivatans

This is on our way back to Sabtang Centro from Sumnanga. There is still an hour before dusk so we can still have some photo opportunities. The width of these roads are only wider than a tricycle so they cannot be on opposite sides at the same time. There are some wider lay-by portions where one has to stop to let the opposite one go ahead.

The nice thing about Batanes Islands is that most of their roads are cemented even if they are in the remotest barangay. Even some roads to the fields are paved.

This mountain has to be cracked at the middle for the road to pass through. The road is a bit steep but still manageable by the tricycles, although we hear the engine complaining.

It is after sunset when we finally reached Morong Beach and Nakabuang Arch on our way back to Sabtang Centro. It is cloudy and we did not sea a nice sunset. I remember having our lunch of lobsters, fresh fish and turmeric rice during my first trip here in 2008. Our guide then joined the three of us to a group so we can partake of the famous Sabtang Arch lunch. That time there are no huts or restaurants here in this area, in contrast to what they have now. A few resto huts are already built above this area.

the expanse of Morong Beach

my fascination in expanded beaches, documenting the lacey waters

Our World Tuesday

Stopover in Ivana on the way to Sabtang, Batanes

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 08:14:00 +0000

I went to Batanes for the third time, now with only one companion who is visiting for her first. Because my brain hasn't been defragged for sometime i was left by the plane on the designated day. The ETD in my brain was wrong, as the schedule for Palawan for April 2018 is left lingering there, so i left home late for the 6:15 flight. That means i purchased another ticke for the next day, while my companion went ahead. From the airport she proceeded immediately to Sabtang Island by boat, slept at the Lighthouse Homestay on her own. The day i arrived she fetched me from the airport in Basco, because she wants the roller-coaster boat ride between the two islands and of course to give me company as i am scared of these waters. Her fancy for the boat ride is the opposite of my fear for rugged sea trips.

The view of the very beautiful clouds at sunrise even if i am under the plane's wing.

We just took a regular passenger tricycle from Basco to Ivana because we are just going to the port. It is common in Batanes to have van or tricycle drivers who double as tourist guides. These days, the local Tourism Office conducts formal tour guiding trainings and licensure examinations. A guide told me that her batch has more than 200 trainees, but only 58 passed the examination. They are now the supposedly "licensed tour guides".

It was a circuitous ride from Basco to Ivana, following the contour of the island along the coast

We took the noon boat to Sabtang as the first boat trip was very early in the morning. We were at the Ivana port a few hours before noon, so we had some time to look for the local Ivana views and of course searched for butterflies. The port of Ivana i saw last in 2010 looks almost the same now; except for some expansion of a reclaimed area at the town center to be their sports complex. The distinct landmark at the port is the jackstone concrete pile serving as breakwater. Our search for lunch walking almost 2km ended with a very sweet "sweet potato" sweets! Can you imagine that? And fried sticky rice we call "maruya". That sufficed for lunch.

Ivana port

the concrete jackstone pile as breakwater, the island at the background is Sabtang

There are two falowa boats plying this route, Sta. Ines and Sto. Tomas. Another boat caters to passengers at the other port of San Vicente. However, more passengers use this Ivana port.

Sta. Ines falowa boat

The boat ride here is just 30-40 min., but during my first 2 rides in the past i remember the big waves that really got me scared. That length for me seemed to be 2 hours. Waters in these areas are famous because of the opposite currents at the middle, one from the Pacific Ocean and the other from the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Falowa boats are designed such to conform with these currents. Outrigger boats will not do in these waters. That is what the residents told us earlier on.

As in the previous trips here, we laso saw the flying fish flying along for a few seconds with the boat. That is always an awesome pacifier when the going gets rough, for the spirits like mine.

the church of Ivana is the most imposing landmark in town because it is on the high ground with long fascade facing the street and the port

inside the Ivana church

This is the Ivana landscape viewed from the port. At the back is the church, and those cargo on a local jeep are the supplies for Sabtang, including food and other supplies. All cargo go to the boat including a few motorbikes and some long steel bars handled by a crane.

Of course, i've told you we are going to Batanes to document butterflies. So every minute and opportunity counts. My companion, Linda here, is busy and seriously using up the moments. The front of the church has lots of nectaring plants. We were curious as there are very few butterflies flying around, except for the low flying very tiny ones. We found 2 bigger ones, Catopsilia and another, but they are very flighty and did not alight on anything for us to photograph.

We contented ourselves in chasing the very elusive little ones like those below, the Pale Grass Blue and the Lesser Grass Blue. There was still the tiniest among the blues, Tiny Grass Blue, which are also here, but they are truly difficult to pin on camera.

PALE GRASS BLUE

Psudozizeeria maha okinawana Matsumura 1929

Lycaenidae; Lycaeninae; Polyommatini

LESSER GRASS BLUE

Zizina otis oriens Butler 1883

Lycaenidae; Lycaeninae; Polyommatini

We also scrutinized the plants and hedges near the church. We found this lovely moth larva on a vine. There are actually two of them there.

... and this lovely attractive jewel beetle also caught our attention. We exchanged positions and delve on trying to let it show its full good angle, until it flew where we cannot anymore follow.

The few hours before our boat ride to Sabtang was productive, despite the really very few butterflies in the area during that time. Maybe the salty breeze or wind is harsh for them that they are obliged to stay at the higher vegetation. We intended to follow observations on higher elevation, but we lack the time. Maybe next time, on my fourth visit.

January Blooms 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 15 Jan 2018 01:38:00 +0000

I love gardening for butterflies!

January here in our hot tropics is still within the rainy season months, but rains only come when there is a typhoon. Fortunately, typhoons are not as prevalent as during the end of the year. The easterly winds coming from cold countries are still here, so we don't feel yet the essence of the dry season, the heat. Even if our day temperatures are still around the 30Cs, our nights are still comfortable, even without the airconditioning.

However, our annuals are already near the end of their lives, they have to seed in preparation for the dry season. But many weeds are blooming well this time, and the insects are also multiplying well for the continuity of their species. Being a butterfly hobbyist, i love whatever blooms there are, even the invasives. The following photos include the weeds, some native and also some introduced species.

Above is a small flower around 1cm in diameter, but small butterflies and insects love it. I just haven't taken time for their identities. These are plants always seen in our property. Picture at the bottom is their normal stand.

Above looks so dainty and found in our wild areas, or fallowed areas. I think it is the white plumbago. But i am not sure if it is native or introduced here. The bottom picture is its natural stand in the wild. I have not seen it in domestication. I just let it be in the yard in the biodiversity garden.

Another weed commonly found in the abandoned fields. The flowers are very small about maybe 3-4mm in length. It is a favorite of the small lycaenid butterflies.

This is an unintentionally introduced species, very invasive and poisonous to animals. Locally it is called 'hagonoy', Chromolaena odorata. It has very deep sturdy roots that withstand long dry season, helping it to become more invasive. I tolerate it because the butterflies love them too.

Another bushy flowers that i am not familiar with the ID. It is a bushy vine at the vegetative stage, entangling the lower bushes until they fully cover them. Insects also visit the blooms often

this is a domestic plant in my garden, Pentas lanceolata, specifically sought after by this swallowtail butterfly, Menelaides deiphobus rumanzovia

The ever present blooming Bougainvillea, a permanent fixture in tropical gardens, is also loved by this red butterfly, Menelaides deiphobus rumanzovia

Impatiens balsamina gets invasive during the rainy season, has at least triple generation before the season ends. We have 3 colors in my garden, and the seeds are naturally stored in the ground waiting for the next rainy season. They have short roots making them easier to pull out when needed.

Justicia plant adds lovely colors in the garden too, but i haven't seen butterflies nectaring on them.

Indian beads at left are dainty little fairies dancing with the wind. Lots of those hanging bunches are so nice if blooming simultaneously. At the right is Hoya diversifolia at the top of the lanzones trees. They continuously bloom for months until February.

This Episcia is struggling to grow in my garden. It loves high humidity in the environment which might not be maintained in ours, as it is mostly windy these days.

Above is not a blooming plant, but the variegated foliage makes a substitute color in a dull corner. It is very easy to maintain so we always have them. Locally called 'kutsarita', it is Alternanthera sp.

GBBD

My Little Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Fri, 15 Dec 2017 03:05:00 +0000

It was one of my weekends in the province. I was scouting around for some subjects to photograph. I've finished with the flowers, which are not plenty anymore as the rainy season is already on its tail. In a few months it will be very dry again and very hot, as the dry season comes in. I have also been waiting for butterflies, but not many are visiting now, maybe the flowers are already loosing their nectars too.

This baby praying mantis is very visible as it is on the yellow heliconia. I wonder if there is not much predators for baby praying mantis. But birds are noisy on the tree canopies above, don't they see this. Or i guess it is still so small for the birds to waste their time. I looked for a bigger adult but i can't see any.

I played with it, touch it with stick, prodded it to walk or jump, but it just moved up and down the heliconia flower or just moved the head left to right. It seems that its head is so big proportionately with its body. Maybe the head enlarge ahead of the other parts of the body, as even the adults have this size of heads. How long still before it develops its wings, i also am not familiar. But the sawed forelegs are already developed and scary.

I also turn around, and it flipped its back as if showing the inner surface of its lower abdomen. I hoped i know what flipping up the lower abdomen means. Probably, it is displaying some signals which i don't know. But recently a new friend who has pet mantises told me this type is more fierce than those with steady long abdome. Oh so maybe it got angry because of my teasing! Good i didn't put my finger close to it.

The above insect is barely more than a centimeter in length from head to the tip of the wings. I cannot anymore get a much bigger focus, but its head design is complicated, not the same with other insects i am familiar with. It is an insect decomposer i suppose as it is normally found on decaying fruits and barks.

And this more familiar one is hanging at the tip of a vine, swinging with the wind. It is a hawksmoth larva already nearing its completion for pupation. This larva change in color from emergence to the stage before pupa. Early on, i thought i've been seeing different species, but actually the colors are variations between instars.

This little hairy larva is again eating the flower buds of my hoya, so i transfered it to a farther place. I hope it doesn't know how to ruturn. It could develop into a lovely moth.

I've been looking at the web of this jumping spider. It has a very prominent design at the middle of its web, however the owner is very tiny that i had difficulty focusing it. There is a group of gathered debris at the center where it alights on, so make it feel very big to predators, and be a bit scary!

This golden orbweaver, Nephila sp., is as long as 2 inches. And its web is even much bigger, about one meter in diameter. Look at that "face", do you think it can scare predators. I have long been seeing them in the wild, but haven't seen it being eaten as a prey.

Look at that web net, isn't it lovely! Can you see the single citrus fruit near its abdomen tip? Its presence in that citrus plant limits us from getting the fruits.

Saturday Critters

My Latest Sunsets

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 06:27:00 +0000

views from my 5th Floor Window

Skywatch Friday

A Visit to Calaguas Islands Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Continuation of the visit to Calaguas Islands: Calaguas post Part I. For a more concise photos of this trip please visit the link above.

I promised in the first part that i will be posting the continuation of this visit to Calaguas Islands. So please join me in the fun.

panoramic phone shot of the Calaguas Cove

other islands among the Calaguas group of islands

typical boats plying these waters on a 2.5 hr-ride to Calaguas

a tall mountain still intact of its primary forest, a solid resource for this region

some of the native huts at the end of the beach, also caters to tourists

a lodging place in Calaguas, owned by the present Brgy. Captain, an active accomodating lady

Another view of the lodging place where we stayed for a night. The lady Brgy Captain said she used her retirement money in building this place.

Nature Notes
Our World Tuesday
Outdoor Wednesday

A Visit to Calaguas Islands

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 00:53:00 +0000

I just realized i have not posted yet about this trip. I was thinking of something for posting in this blog, as i relegated all the common things i see at home to Pure Oxygen Generators (my 2nd blog). Somehow i already assigned the out of town experiences and photos to this original blogsite. Now i am thinking why of all travels i forgot to post this trip to Camarines Norte, Bicol Region! Imagine, this was still in the last 2 days of April this year.

It was actually an official trip for the evaluation of the soybean project, as well as some training on processing and cooking soybean products for the less fortunate women in one of the barangays in that island. We rented a van, and someone from the university as our lecturer/breeder joined us there later the following day. My previous trips there was by plane, which is only about 45 minutes. Since it was my first trip there by land i savored every landscape and things seen on the way, which lasted practically from sunrise to sunset. While my companion was sleeping on the front seat, i didn't close my eyes at all, my only live companions were WAZE and Facebook!

It was a circuitous route, through the mountains and sometimes along the sea! We just stop the van for lunch and sometimes at the gas stations! The first 3 photos are along the way, where we stopped by for lunch.

Gumaca, Quezon - where we stopped for lunch. It was a long stretch along the sea, and in this area are restaurants basically catering to travelers.

The island at the horizon is the Alabat Island, Quezon.

We specifically chose this restaurant for the native materials they used for the hut. It might not be very visible, but there is a small attic at the roof. The open windows allow the breeze from the sea, which is already a part of the Pacific Ocean.

This is the boat station on the way to Calaguas Islands, Vinzons, Camarines Norte. Those in the photo are the typical boats that ply this route. It took two hours for us to reach one of the Calaguas Islands where we had training in one of the isolated barangays.

It took us about 40 minutes to navigate the river-estuary before we reached the open sea. Nipa palms grow on both sides of the river, which has many tributaries to Vinzons.

These are already some islands in the Calaguas group of islands.

Another islands in the Calaguas group of islands. We can discern white beaches in some of them.

Above is a barren rock devoid of green vegetation, but there are also tourists that go there, evidenced by those boats at the sides.

Above is already the main tourist beach of the Calaguas Islands. Before coming here, i thought Calaguas Island is only one island, it turns out that the posts just described this place termed Calaguas Island. But there are actually many beaches in the other islands and at the back of this one, but not as developed yet as this.

This is the longest stretch of white beach in these areas. At the far end at the left is where the camping tent areas are. At night it is full of brightly colored tents. This is the view to the left, and below is the view to the right.

We reached this place at sunset, after our training lectures at the other island 30 minutes from here.

I still have lots of photos of the sunset and the other views in the morning of our stay. Actually, we just stayed for the night had dinner there and left again in the morning.

Next post is still about this beach. Please stay tuned.

Nature Notes

Our World Tuesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Sunset Positions from my Window

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 15:14:00 +0000

Skywatching again!

You all know how fascinated i am in oserving the movements of the earth through my sunset views. Those of you who have been here in the past when i posted these sun's positions appreciated them, my photos. I hope some of you will be here again for this post. As there's no other way for me to choose, i only have the same position where to put my camera, and that is my 5th Floor West Window.

So these are the changes not only of the cloud conditions in each particular day of the month this year, but mostly the sun's positions in relation to the very distinct landmarks in my horizon. This is my small observatory, and i am doing this yearly. I am not only chasing Butterflies, i also chase the sun! 2017.

Note: These are all unedited photos straight from the files, not even cropping!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

Below you will notice two almost identical shots. I noticed this only when i was choosing the photo to be representative of each month. I realized that i have many photos to choose from in April, and the sun's positions are clearly changing on top of that middle building from among the 3 prominent landmarks in my horizon. So it was in August when the same position was attained by the sun on its way back to the original position, far left of my 3 structural landmarks.

The sun was farthest right in June, the month when it starts to go back to the left. And in August it was at the same position at that building. My impatience was not able to wait until December, for me to say if the sun will be able to be back at the original position in January. I am sorry about that, but i will later update you on the happenings for the next 4 months. Please stay tuned!

August

April

Our World Tuesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Some Wildflowers

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Fri, 18 Aug 2017 07:45:00 +0000

There was a time in the past when all the flowers are wildflowers! When people started to have houses and parks, there are also plants that became domesticated and cared for by the people. Domestication probably started for food, for medicinal values, and eventually for aesthetic reasons. Some wildflowers in some locales maybe domesticated in others, as per the cliche "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Then after decades or centuries of domestication, some plants eventually become wild again. These could be those left by some people, escaped domestication, and reverted back to become wild.

Our wildflowers in our area are not as colorful or attractive to men as those in colder climes. Besides, they are not very plentiful in contiguous locations. I uploaded here in pairs some that are found around our area in the province. They might not be lovely for humans, but they are much favored by butterflies.

Wedella trilobata

This is previously a ground cover for some landscapes. It has been declared invasive in some US cities. Maybe this in our area is planted as ornamental plant but eventually become invasive and conquered an area nearby. I don't mind it near our area as the Tiny Grass Blue butterflies love this.

porterweed, Stachetarpheta jamaicensis

Dark Blue Glassy Tiger, Tirumala orientalis semper

unknown to me

Lagundi, Vitex negundo

unknown to me

Tridax procumbens - that is a skipper which suddenly left when i am about to focus.

This is a Palm Bob skipper that nectars on the plenty of Tridax procumbens flowers.

Wildflower Wednesday
Floral Friday Fotos

Skywatching Time

noreply@blogger.com (Andrea) — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 06:32:00 +0000

When at home in the city, in my very little corner of the world, literally my very small condo unit in the building, this is what i do!

Skywatch Friday