Free flowering plants at the park

Plumeria obtusa

Ixora coccinea

Plumeria obtusa

Red-eyed Bulbul enjoys the ixora berry

Red-eyed Bulbul (Pyconotus brunneus) with ripe berry of the Ixora coccinea

It is my first sighting of the Red-eyed Bulbul caught in the midst of eating a ripe berry of the Yellow Ixora.  It took quite a while (about 3 minutes)  for it to position the fruit well before swallowing it.

Gardening the Butterfly Garden

Ixora coccinea at a corner of the Butterfly Garden

 In times of rainy days it is best to do gardening especially planting activities.  Today, in between moments of drizzle and rain, I make time to carry out some transplanting and also actual planting works at the Butterfly Garden.  The chances of survival are better on rainy days as the newly planted species receive immediate care in the form of water and cloudy sky to help reduce the initial planting shock.  I planted the Ruellia colorata plant at the Butterfly Garden this afternoon. Most of the time however was spent on digging more topsoil from the hill nearby  and placing it on the existing planting beds.  Before the evening fades my hard work was paid in full  by the amazing sight of the rainbows on the eastern horizon.  Another day is done.  A day feeling determined and hopeful that more butterflies will show up at the garden in the near future.  Well that sounds familiar..adventure in life, hands-on, looking into the future, always better, like a child ever more curious and learning....

Ruellia colorata
Family : Acanthaceae - Acanthus family

Rainbow on the eastern sky.  A day is done.

Antics of the Little Spiderhunter tasting sweet nectar

Little Spiderhunter at the Ixora coccinea flowers.

 It is indeed interesting to observe the antics of the Little Spiderhunter this morning.  What looked spectacular was its action in pulling the style out from  the  perianth tube.  Then seconds later another photoshoot image clearly shows the style stuck in between the beak.  The style is sweet- tasting  because of the presence of nectar.  For this reason it is common to see in Sarawak young children pulling the style slowly from the tube and place the style on their tongues to taste its sweetness.  Checkout the images below .....

Pulling the needle-like style from the perianth tube.  The style connects the stigma at top of the flower to the ovary at the bottom.  The style is much sweeter especially towards the base near the ovary.

Needle-like style stuck in between the beak

Thank you for the sweet nectar

Little S[iderhunter at the Yellow Ixora flowers
Zone C

 It's early in the morning and the first visitor at the Yellow Ixora sbrub was the Little Spiderhunter.  It was intent of getting a taste of the sweet nectar.  I would normally pull the stigma and style slowly out of the long tube.  The long style and especially the bottom tip of it tastes sweet.  The style is as thin as a needle and as such Malays call the ixora flower as 'Bunga Jarum' (Needle flower).  I makes me wonder whether the Little Spiderhunter pulls out the style or just applies its suction power from its beak and tonque to collect the nectar.

Garden flowers in close-ups

Ixora coccinea
Family : Rubiaceae - Coffeee family

Wedelia trilobata
Family : Compositae - Sunflower family

Clerodendrum paniculatum
Family : Verbenaceae - Teak family

Garden flowers in close-ups

Phaalenopsis sumatrana
Family : Orchidaceae - Orchid family

Ixora coccinea
Family : Rubiaceae - Coffee family

Tabebuia rosea
Family : Bignoniaceae - Bignonia family

Little Spiderhunter loves nectar too

The Little Spiderhunter is back at the ixora shrub.  This yellow flowered variety seems to be its favourite ixora shrub.  It is seen enjoying the nectar from the long tubular structure within which is a needle-like style which runs down the tube.  The liquid inside the tube  is sweet tasting. 

Up-close and personal with the Little Spiderhunter

Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra ) - Kelicap Jantung (Malay)
Location : Zone C

 The Little Spiderhunter's favourite haunt at the park is the Ixora coccinea yellow shrub that flowers every day in the year.  Today it was more at ease and confident enough to give me a rare chance to shoot it at a very close range, that is about 2 meters away.  It saw me but because it was so very absorbed in sipping the nectar from the ixora flowers that it just gave more poses for the camera.  Let the photos speak for themselves.....

Spiderhunter for fb cover page, 1 Feb'14

Birds of the Park - Little Spiderhunter

 It amazes me why the Little Spiderhunter that comes regularly to the yellow Ixora coccinea flowers does not come in pairs.  The Malays call it 'Kelicap Jantung' and it produces a nice 'chirp,chirp,chirp,chirp' notes.  Besides preying on soft insects like ants and spiders, it loves to sip the nectar from the ixora flowers and in so doing does fine acrobatic show.
Here's more pics of the bird for the album.

Little Spiderhunter (Kelicap Jantung -Malay)
Arachnothera longirostra
Date taken : 28 Jul'13, location : Zone C

Pick of the park - Ixora coccinea

Ixora coccinea , Bunga Jarum (Malay)