12/2011 - East Woods (4 Jun 2011)

It has been a year since we last visited East Woods. On my way to the East, the morning sun was super bright and round. It is a pity Singapore has so many tall buildings otherwise Ming would have stopped and taken a shot of the golden sun against the baby blue sky with a tinge of pink.  Am I right, Ming?

The early birds had their breakfast at Bedok Food Court. Most of us arrived at the car park next to Bedok Food Court by 0745hrs.  We took a short 10-min walk to the "playground".  The vegetation has grown much bushier and taller.  Those who could not make it on time made their own way to meet us there.

I decided to be a bug spotter for this outing and some were surprised that I did not bring my equipment today.  Within a 100m, I spotted a Crab Spider and I called out to Destine but she was busy setting up her equipment.  Cheow Tin came along and I introduced the elusive Crab Spider to him.  I hope he managed to capture it and share with us.  Hmmmmm ....  I bet Sonia (picture above) caught a beauty through her 3rd eye!

 

It was a hot and humid morning.  Many of us were dripping with sweat.  Some of us ventured into the forest to get some shade.  As you can see, the vegetation is knee high.  There is no path or trail so when we walked through the thick jungle, we had to lift up our legs so our feet does not get entangled with the thick growth of creepy plants.  It can be a challenge as it inevitably disturbs the timid bugs.  However, some others like butterfly and caterpillars are just oblivious.





Destine finally caught up with us and shot this beautiful spider.  While we wait for its ID, let's take a peek because it's peeking at you too.  It's eyes are so small compared to its body.  If you know the identity of this spider, please assist us by indicating in Post a Comment with thanks.

by Destine Ang

East Woods is very huge in terms of area.  I would think it covers the size of a football field.  Some of us decided to explore another part of it led by Endy who had apparently combed the jungle.  It was a long walk along the bicycle track and we ended up near the ECP towards Changi Airport.  It looked wild and it offered us a few interesting subjects.  A black cobra was spotted as it slithered away towards the enormous bird's-nest fern.  It is definitely a place to revisit some day.

Nah ... these people are not queueing for Hello Kitty but waiting to shoot an Ornamental Tree Trunk spider (Female) spotted by Poon Liang.  Well, I wanted to have a record shot too.  Without my proper equipment, I just have to live with my other hand-held gadget.  The Ornamental Tree Trunk spider must have been the most popular female "model" of the day!

by Wang Poon Liang

We hasten our footsteps as dark clouds loomed above us like a heavy curtain.   The musky smell of impending rain hung in the atmosphere.  Ming and I had to take a little detour to find her Nikon camera body front mount cap and she was delirious with joy to see it on the turf near our "base camp".  The rain held everyone hostage at Bedok Food Court.   It was time for lunch anyway so we sat in small groups to have our meals and chatted away.  There was definitely great camaraderie among all who participated in this outing.

Participants (22) - Sharon S. Lim ((Trip Leader), Endy Tan, Anthony Quek, Cai Yixiong, Lim Cheow Tin, Ko Kyaw Htay, Mohammad K. Catherine Wong, Sadiran, Destine Ang, Kelvin Ong, Edmund, Danny Tan, Wang Poon Liang, Pinky Lee, Yvonne Tan, Ong Ngee Ming, Sonia Zhou, Hazel Han, Flor J. Chan Choon Phiow and Joe Tan.   Absent with apologies - Soh Pui Hoon and Foong K T.