Sunday, October 24, 2010

malay lacewing {cethosia hypsea hypsina}

malay lacewing {cethosia hypsea hypsina}

Malay Lacewing at Kipandi Butterfly Park.

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A beautiful butterfly with wings of orange and red surrounded by broad black borders. The wings are scalloped, giving the hind-wings its sawtooth-like edges. The undersides are orange and red with white fasciae and black spots forming an intricate pattern. This photo was taken at Kipandi Butterfly Park which is 36 km from Kota Kinabalu City and 700m (2,100 feet) above sea level. It shows a lacewing on the lantana. (There are quite a number of subspecies with different patterns and colours.)

Wikipedia: Genus cethosia . Butterflies of Singapore (blog): Excellent information here .

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

houses on the sea

A scene from the "floating village" of Pulau Gaya (Gaya Island).

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Sources on the internet also call the community here as the Bajau (indegenous group) gypsies. A mix of Bajau, Filipino and Indonesian communities is probably more accurate. For long an eyesore (and issue of public, environmental and political interests), this water village has been shrinking over the years. Many of these houses have been dismantled, while a few are being rebuilt. Mass relocation is certainly a daunting task. And just nearby, on the same island, are two excellent 5 star resorts.

Pulau Gaya is the largest of five islands that are collectively known as the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (est 1974), and it is about 3 km from the mainland. The other islands are Manukan, Sapi, Suluk and Mamutik. Non of the other islands have these villages. Pulau Gaya is also known to have the most type of dipterocarp trees that can be found in Sabah's rainforest. Wikipedia info on Dipterocarpaceae.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

my squirrel :D

my squirrel :D

Lucky looks down from the mango tree.

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There are no squirrels in my garden. She provided some entertainment. 20100821-P1020931-2 ed

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