Bird of paradise plant information

Liu Li felt excited as he picked birds' dung from ice holes at the Yellow River wetland in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on a day early in spring 2018. The zoologist walked carefully on the soft ice as he approached the holes. To prevent bird flu infection, he wore a face mask and gloves as he bagged the samples, which would be dried and analyzed later. He didn't realize he had become deeply stuck in the mud until he turned around to go back. "I had to throw the camera and dung aside to climb out," Liu said, recalling what he said was one of the most interesting experiences he'd had during his eight years of research on wetland birds. "From the dung, we can learn what vegetables the birds prefer. For example, swans like corn kernels, which can quickly provide energy to help them fly north," he said. The Baotou Yellow River Wetland is a major transfer station for birds migrating along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. With an area of 12,222 hectares, it hosts about … [Read more...] about Avian enthusiast basks in bird life

EL NIDO, Philippines: Ann Pansinsoy is a daughter of a fisherman. When she was young, life was simple but enriched by the abundance of the sea. Fish were everywhere – tonnes and tonnes of them, she said, from the shore where the island kids would dangle bait above the sea floor to catch their dinner. “If we could catch one and I didn’t like it, then I’d throw it back to the sea and catch fish that I wanted for my dinner, just like that,” said Ann, now 38. Her tan face lit up with a bright smile at the thought of those old days. “It’s a good childhood memory,” she added. “My kids don’t have the experience I had before.” The idea of food security is in the distant past for many residents of El Nido in Palawan – a coastal municipality on the Philippines’ remote western border. Fish catches are in decline. Crops struggle to grow. Their lands are dry and barren from years of slash-and-burn farming and prolonged drought. Dry spells are a big problem, especially for residents … [Read more...] about ‘Soil gives life’: Philippine islanders adapt to survive in Palawan paradise as new climate reality hits

The Timaru District Council has launched Environment Court action against a landowner who it claims has illegally sprayed and killed off native vegetation on a significant site. The “application for enforcement orders”, lodged on February 10, says that Robert Hudson of Timaru, was involved in “the clearance of indigenous vegetation within a Significant Natural Area (SNA) within the property (on Fairview and Holme Station roads) that has contravened a rule in the Timaru District Plan and has caused adverse effects on the environment”. The council is seeking Hudson to: Cease and not undertake any further clearance of indigenous vegetation within the SNAs. Erect deer fences in a manner that will ensure the exclusion of stock from the SNAs. Cease and not allow any grazing of stock with the SNA and, if necessary, in any surrounding paddocks. Engage a suitably qualified and experienced ecologist to facilitate and provide direction for the regeneration and recovery of indigenous … [Read more...] about Timaru District Council takes landowner to Environment Court over spraying of native plants

Did you know that the lemon tree in your backyard can be a host for Lime butterflies? Or that the common Baron butterflies lay their eggs on mango trees? “Each butterfly depends on a specific set of plants for laying their eggs. The caterpillars feed on the leaves of these host plants to be a pupa, which later grows into an adult butterfly,” says Pavendhan A, president of The Nature and Butterfly Society. The organisation has recently come up with Butterflies of Tamil Nadu , a 24-page booklet that introduces people to the world of butterflies. It discusses the role, life cycle and migration of butterflies along with a step-by-step process of setting up a butterfly garden. “There are 325 varieties of butterflies in Tamil Nadu. The booklet contains information and photographs of 90 commonly found species. To make it more interesting to people in the State, we have included nine butterflies whose common English names start with the word, ‘Tamil’ like the Tamil yeoman (Tamil Nadu State … [Read more...] about The ‘Butterflies of Tamil Nadu’ introduces you to 90 commonly found butterflies in the state

SINGAPORE: Taking a leaf out of ancient scriptures and literature, world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie said on Friday (Apr 12) that Changi Airport’s new lifestyle destination, Jewel, was modeled after a "mythical garden". "The idea of a garden, well, Singapore has all kinds of gardens (like) Gardens by the Bay (and) Botanical Gardens. How do we do something unique and special? And I was thinking of (the) gardens of ancient scriptures, literature. Every culture has its own gardens of paradise. More recently, the landscape in the Avatar film, in the sense that this was a place we (have) never seen before," he told CNA. EXPLORE OUR JEWEL CHANGI AIRPORT INTERACTIVE SPECIAL Jewel Changi Airport: A feast for the eyes - a photo special Mr Safdie, who also designed Marina Bay Sands, said that he had the idea of creating " a great place of nature " in the heart of an airport, with a marketplace that is "intense and busy" on one side, and a nature reserve just adjacent. … [Read more...] about Creating a ‘mythical garden’ was inspiration behind Jewel Changi Airport: Architect Moshe Safdie