Rhizanthes–rotten flowers and spoiled buds

Came across these rotten rhizantes flowers during a jungle walk. There were two unopened buds (upper right) which appeared to have been pried open, stepped on or kicked off by something or someone. What a pity. Probably Rhizantes lowii.

I read that there is also a species discovered by the late Prof. Kamaruddin, a noted rafflesia expert in the Lanjak-Entimau area of Sarawak. That species is believed to be a new species.

These are fascinating parasitic plants. Like the Rafflesia, they are only visible when they form buds and flower outside of their hosts. The flowers are much smaller than most rafflesias but are still very beautiful and amazing to look at when fully bloomed.

Roosting bat

During the day, bats like this one can be found roosting in our many tall coconut palms. They rest under the fronds inconspicuously. This one moved around a bit, assessing me to see if i posed a threat, ready to launch and fly off at the first sign of trouble.

Terrathelphusa sp. semi-terrestrial crab

 

Here’s another photo of the strikingly-coloured crab posted yesterday. This time a close up of it in self-defense mode. What a beauty!

Land crab with bright red pincers

A hungry visitor: With a snail in one pincer and the larva of a firefly beetle in the other, this beautiful land crab with bright red pincers and a purplish body is a welcome find on a rainy evening!

Will update this post once I have an ID.

Corybas (helmet orchids) emerging from “hibernation”?

 

Here they are... re-emerging after a long, hot and dry season. with the rains starting to fall again, these little corybas or helmet orchids are beginning to put out new shoots from the tiny tubers buried in the carpet of moss.

Each tuber appears to put out only one single leaf from which a flower will appear. From my observation over the years, it appears that during the dry season, they disappear from sight, dropping their leaves till the next monsoon arrives.

Fascinating to see them "carpet" the ground one season, then disappear the next, only to reappear again the following rainy season.

However, there will always be a few who didn't get the memo so it's not surprising to see one or two during the hottest months, albeit in bad shape.

Stay tuned for photos of early flowers…

Bulbophyllum digital painting

Bulbophyllum digital painting, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

This was a quick sketch and paint but the details especially the lines took a lot longer simply cause I've got shaky hands and can't draw clean lines. Done on samsung note 2.

Bulbophyllum digital art - samsung note 2

Bulbophyllum digital art - samsung note 2, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

How I start my orchid sketches. Very rough lines before I start painting and filling in the colours.

Thrixspermum amplexicaule digital sketch-and-colour

Thrixspermum amplexicaule digital sketch-and-colour, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

This is one of the first few wild orchid species that got me interested in the hobby. Sketched and coloured with the s-pen on my Samsung Note 2.

Papilionanthe orchid painting

Papilionanthe orchid painting, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

Quick sketch and colour job on my samsung note 2. This is based on my own papilionanthe photo found in my flickr photostream.

More Note2 artwork: bird of prey

More Note2 artwork: bird of prey, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

My saumsung note2's screen may be cracked, but it has no effect on the digitizer so am still able to paint on it. This one is inspired by the following photo https://plus.google.com/108977422735122571732/posts/HeEiWPC8NMu

Samsung note2 artwork: Grumpy No More

Samsung note2 artwork: Grumpy No More, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

hehe thought I'd make this quick amusing sketch of that grumpy feline and making him smile. I used the "photo editor" app to sketch and shade. :)

Samsung note 2 artwork

Samsung note 2 artwork, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

"Fun at the beach"
Even though my note2's screen cracked, thankfully the digitizer and touch screen still works. :)

Samsung Note 2 cracked screen

Samsung Note 2 cracked screen, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

My Samsung Note 2 slipped off the edge of my bed this morning and landed on the tiled floor (a drop of about 2 feet or less). Unfortunately, it hit the floor top left corner first and the screen cracked. :(

Corybas sp. in situ

Corybas sp. in situ, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

Another healthy patch. There won't be ant flowers for another few months.
btw, whatever you do, do not upgrade to the latest version of the flickr android app. I have that on my tab and it is really bad.

Olympus OMD E-M5 - premature wear and tear

Olympus OMD E-M5, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

It is now about a year since I bought my Olympus OMD EM5. I have taken thousands of photos with it and its body is showing plenty of signs of wear and tear. However, it has been handled properly, not roughly. Yet the "premature signs of aging" are there, as reported by many other owners in various forums all over the internet.

Peeling body paint which reveals ugly white plastic underneath, eye cup that slips off easily (mine broke and got lost when it slipped right off during normal usage within the first few months). It has misbehaved once or twice, shutting down or refusing to start. For a camera that cost me RM4200++ this is not acceptable.

Functionally, it performs well and I do love this camera because of its size and performance. But a camera that costs much more than entry level DSLRs but with what seems to be poorer construction/body-quality is unacceptable.

Even the old E-510 (which was much cheaper when first launched than the EM5) I used to shoot with felt much better made.

I wrote to complain and Olympus Malaysia replied, promising to take my complaint seriously. I'd love to upgrade to the EM6 if it had all the features of the EP5, along with phase detect AF and maybe a new sensor.

But this time, I'll be wiser and wait and see instead of being an early adopter.

Appendicula undulata var. longicalcarata

Appendicula undulata var. longicalcarata, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

One of the smallest orchid flowers I've ever photographed in situ.

Flowers of Pangium edule (keluak or kepayang)

Flowers of Pangium edule (keluak or kepayang), a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

This is my first time seeing keluak/kepayang (Pangium edule) flowers! The large fruits contain poisonous seeds which are actually quite tasty when prepared well. Also used in nyonya dishes.

To read more about the poisonous but edible seeds (must be properly prepared before consumption!), please visit:
http://sarawaklens.blogspot.com/2010/01/poisonous-but-yummy-pangium-edule.html

For pictures of the fruit, please click:
http://sarawaklens.blogspot.com/2010/11/pangium-edule.html

Peek-a-boo

Peek-a-boo, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

Last weekend, I took part in the 2nd annual Bornean Frog Race which was held in Kubah National Park. The Race is held in celebration of the fifth annual Save the Frogs Day which is aimed at raising awareness of the threats faced by about 6000+ species of the world's frogs, about a third of which are wider threat of extinction (many have already disappeared from the wild).
It was a really fun-filled event. we enjoyed the good company of other native-lovers and learned lots of new things.

Red wild berries

Red wild berries, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

Red berries of a vine. Came across these borne on long vines hanging down from a tree about 10 meters high. They are edible (since I'm still here!) and have a light tangy taste with a hint of sweetness.
Snapped with an OMD-EM5 + 12-50mm standard kit lens in macro mode.

Avocado seedlings

Avocado seedlings, a photo by Sarawak Lens on Flickr.

My avocado plants growing nicely. I tried to get them to be more bushy by snipping off the stem but a new shoot emerges and only grows straight up. Got a few pots, most from sabah, a few local and one from Australia. Don't know which is which anymore, didn't label them.

HELLO WORLD!

Yes, I’m alive and well. :)

No, I didn’t fall off the face of the earth and landed on the moon.

Yes, I’ve been preoccupied with other projects.

No, I haven’t got a new blog.

Yes, I’ve stopped renewing my www.sarawaklens.com domain.

No, I haven’t given up blogging.