Moonriver Lodge, Sigar Highlands
FOR OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDRENArchive for Forest Reserve
I Dream Of A Forest
PKK 29 March 2011
Best of conservation
I picked this up browsing through an old edition from Asian geographic magazine. A slight variation in words from the Kenyan proverb I blogged previously.
“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children.”
(John James Audubon, French American ornithologist, naturalist, hunter & painter)
Pokok Rut
During the Rafflesia Flower trek, the Orang Asli pointed out the pokok rut to us. The smell of the freshly picked plant reminded me of my childhood days when we waited in anticipation for our Root Beers during Chinese New Year visitations and special treats to A&W’s.
Used to relieve wind, stomachache.
Blazing a new trail
Our Volunteer Forest Rangers have helped blazed a new trail today which starts from the Bamboo Canopy junction and connects to the Water Trail. We call this the Valley Trail.
This is an easy and short loop trail ~ 1 hr and suitable for all ages.
Please read more under Trails Category.
Solar Panel Leaf
This fern (Dipteris conjugata) extends its solar-panel leaf to intercept the insolation of the sun. Chlorophyll, the green pigment of land-plant tissue, is the life-blood of plants, for without it, they would be unable to harness the energy of sunlight for growth and repair. Surplus energy is carried from leaves to other needy parts of the plant in the form of atomic bonds in sugar molecules.
(Source : Rain Forests & Cloud Forests by Sandved & Emsley)
Malayan Horned Frog
We have been hearing the persistent “honking” sounds from the stream and water area, and could not quite figure out which animal that was. Our resident staff finally caught this interesting species in a bucket from the stream – a Malayan Horned Frog (Megophrys Nasuta)
A forest specialist, the Malayan Horned Frog has remarkable camouflage; its colour and form mimicking the leaf litter to be found on the forest floor. Unless the frog moves to snatch some unwary prey, it is unlikely to be seen. Its distinctive shape includes a large head and wide mouth, and sharply pointed protuberances above each eye. Its call is a toad-like ‘honk’ and it feeds on forest floor invertebrates.
(Source : www.ecologyasia.com)
Red Palm Weevil
Th Weevils (Curculionidae) are the most numerous of all beetles and over 40,000 species have received names. Their distinguishing mark is the long snout, which has jaws at the end of it and is used for boring holes in the seeds, fruits, buds etc. in which weevils will lay their eggs.
The Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) lays its eggs on palm trees of various kinds. The larva tunnels in the trunk and crown of the palm and often kills the tree. This little weevil is a well-known pest amongst palm farmers and there have been many research and discussions on how to prevent and control this little “evil”!
(Source: Malayan Animal Life by Tweedie & Harrison & Wikipedia)
Baby Fern
The unopened leaves of this fern (could be the Etlingera littoralis) resemble the hairspring of a watch. Once uncurled, they will open to their mature size. The small bright green pods are densely covered with stomatal pores for rapid exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen, a feature that allows the leaves to grow rapidly while they are opening.
Learn more about ferns in our Wild Asia@Moonriver Rainforest Conservation & Restoration programme.
(Source : Rain Forests & Cloud Forests by Sandved & Emsley)
Amazing Rafflesia
The world’s largest flower was first discovered in Padang, Sumatra by Dr. Joseph Arnold and Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the leader of the expedition in 1818. The “great flower” weighed fifteen pounds and held six quarts of water in the nectaries, created keen interest in scientific circles in London, and the press reported the find at great length.
The flower was named Rafflesia Arnoldi.
The Rafflesia in Lojing, Kelantan, Malaysia is the second largest flower, the largest in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Rafflesia is a true parasitic plant, without green parts, leaves, a stem and roots. Evolution has stripped Rafflesia of irrelevant organs, which have atrophied into functionless forms. Unable to manufacture food for itself, it lives at the expense of its host and is totally dependent on the sap produced by the liana for nourishment. It is inconspicuous until the bud appears on the host liana. The bud, which resembles a cabbage, take many months to develop, when it opens with a hissing sound.
You can see this amazing flower for yourself when you join the Rafflesia Flower Trek at Moonriver Lodge.
(Source : Rain Forests & Cloud Forests by Sandved & Emsley)
Red Snail
This mountain species, Hemiplecta (Platymma) tweediei, are mostly recorded from Cameron Highlands. The body is coloured black and brick-red with a flattened, coal-black shell reaching nearly 3 inches in diameter
(Source: Malayan Animal Life).
We nearly stepped on this native pulmonate during the Water Trail reccee with WildAsia team to identify areas for our Plant-A-Tree programme. This programme is currently under development for WildAsia@Moonriver’s Rainforest Conservation & Restoration Programme.
