Kindness of Nature

This is one of my enjoyment when I do my hiking in the morning. A green dense forest provides me with plenty of cool air rich in oxygen, and layers of mountain ranges rise and fall behind the morning fog in the far distance. In between, people down there may have started their daily chores or still have yet to return from their dream in this Sunday morning.

This is a rare moment for this beauty because the combination of weather (cool temperature after a raining night) and time (before the morning sun have lost its temper) must be right. And yet this is the best time to fall back to the bed for a nice comfortable sleep.

We do not need to pay anything, I mean, it is free to enjoy all these. Nature is always kind enough to us.

The place is Cerok Tokun, my weekend lover.

Morning Class

When I was having a rest at the park after hiking, I found out that I was actually standing beside a tree with the tree bark looked so abnormal to me. It was very different from others in such a manner there seemed to be a "coating" being attached to the bark. My gently press onto it resulted some broken pieces dropping from the surface. I tried to scratch one big section only then I knew that it was a termite nest. The coated layer was actually a mix of soil, mud, chewed wood, saliva and faeces. I could see termites moving from the exposed portion back to the inner part of the nest.

As far as I know, termites live either in large conical mounds that can be easily seen in the forest or inside a building. This was the first time I found them building their nest atop a living tree. Anyhow I have not cleared my doubt on how long the tree can survive after the termite infestation.

The termite colony has three castes, 1. dark brown to brownish black winged castes, or what are called king and queen, 2. creamy white, soft-bodied, wingless and blind soldiers; they have enormously elongated, brownish and hard heads that are equipped with two jaws, and 3. the workers that can be seen having pale colored heads.

From the information then I know further about the nest that I had found earlier on the branches was actually an arboreal termite nest.

To avoid being overpowered by ants and other predators when exposed, termites cover their tracks with tubing made of faeces, plant matter and soil. These "sheltered tunnels" on a tree trunk can be seen in the last picture.

This is what I have learnt from the nature this morning.

Woodpecker at work

I thought I had seen woodpecker but actually I did not. This happened in this morning at Cerok Tokun when I saw a piece of fallen wood lying quietly at one side of the trekking path. It must have fallen down during heavy rain at last night. Fallen trees or woods are not abnormal to me because on and off I find that, be it big or small and living or rotten, they have to surrender themselves to the strong wind and heavy tropical rain.

What had drawn to my attention was the round hole found on the wood. It must be done by no other than a woodpecker.

I had not seen the woodpecker around but I felt I had seen it. It was working so hard by then on the last rescue to the tree though it was in vain at the end.

(Why must it be a circular hole but not other shapes? It is funny to ask myself without having an answer).

By the way, this rotten wood had pulled my attention. I had then pulled the attention of passers-by.

"Hello everybody, I am the alien from outer space trying to capture the spirit of the Nature".

Jog with Ferdinand

This is a trek beside the Perai river at SJ. The picture reflects the typical tropical greenery in this neighbourhood. On the right we see sugar canes whereby banana trees are on the other side. If we move further to the right, there is a long stretch of swamp area behind these banana trees. This is the living place of crabs and also the same place that provides the villagers some extra earning.

We can see two brownish tracks on the grasses that lie parallel to the sandy motorcycle path. They are partly contributed by us as we prefer the softness of grasses during jogging.

I could always see Cuckoo coming out from one side and quickly disappeared into the bush on the other side once I got closer. Moving further up there used to be monkeys staying on top of trees or on the pathway that made me cautious on any of their attacks. Advise by book is not to stare at them for which they might think they are being challenged and start to attack. I would not be able to show you all these in the evening. They get back to rest very much early than us for their simpler lives that need no jogging and blogging .

On the other way, this herd of cows were only allowed to wander around outside the cattle pen when the sun was ready to set. Jogging along with these animals was not much fun when I thought of young Ferdinand the Bull the moment he was stung by a bee.

Lotus

The lotus flower in the garden has bloomed fully at dawn and the petals starts to fold back again at night. It always, by then, symbolizes spiritual enlightenment in Asian cultures.

Goddess of Mercy or Kuan Yin in Chinese which means One Who Sees and Hears the Cry from the Human World is the most popular of the deity on Chinese altars, trusted and loved by all Chinese people. Image of Kuan Yin is often shown holding a rosary and a white lotus in the other.

The flower grows from the wet soil in the pot and emerges several centimeters from the water. It opens for just three days. The best companions in the pot are the peaceful little peacock fish which at the same time help to get rid of mosquito larvae.

The famous statement in Chinese literature "lotus emerges from the mud, yet it is unstained" has exerted an influence on the Chinese down to the present. But it is hard to relate any politician to this statement of purity.

The lotus leaves demonstrate another kind of beauty by its shape. They float on the water, hold and roll the morning dews and rain drops.

This lotus plant is always my favourite.