Went down to Rifle Range Link this morning trying to get some photos of the Chestnut-winged Babbler, one of the more elusive forest babblers. It was calling and came close but moved too fast for any shots. Well just have to try again some other mornings.
Don’t know why the False Tapioca plants and the Leea indicas that used to cover the stretch of the Rifle Range Link were cleared. This spot was the most reliable place to find the Van Hasselts Sunbirds and Lancers and Skippers.
Walking down this trail is never a waste of time if you keep your eye peeled for the slightest movements. This was how I came across this Black Scorpion out foraging by the track. It belongs to the genus heterometres, spending much of its time hiding under dead logs and crevices. We have two very similiar species in our forest, the Malaysian Black Scorpion and the Asian Wood Scorpion, the largest of scorpions found here.
This Black Scorpion was about 10 cm long. Not usual for it to be out in the open like this.
Further down the trail, an Emerald Moth was resting quietly on a green leaf, which makes difficult to find. This is part of their survival strategy to bend in to the habitat. This is another first green moth for me.
But the female Arch Duke is more conspicuous with its speckled brown wings. It used its fast flight to evade its predators. Most of my photos of this butterfly is from the top as they are normally seen feeding on the ground. Happy to get a shot of the underside.
The recent hot weather also affected the Bat Lilies in the forest. Just about every plant is blooming. The flowers are unique in their shape and color, with two petals pointing up and long whiskers flowing down. The flowers are in between. This one even has a double flower, which is rather unusual as they do not bloom so easily. Do go down in the next few days to witness this mass blooming.
Among the leaf litter on the ground, this purple fungi stands out. It is quite large for a mushroom but the head is not the usual dome shaped.
Wild Asia 