Nepenthes gracilis in Perak and Johor.

This is a very common species can be found everywhere in Malaysia. Normally it is growing on the slope of the mountain, road side, riverbank, as well as inside the jungle with low or high humidity. But this is the species require very strong sun light and moist substrate.

Local carvinorous plant hobbyists are not fancy about this species. But those from Europe, United State, Canada and etc are crazy about this species. As it is not easy to grow under low temperature environment. Especially winter. (Malaysia is a tropical country without 4 season.)

Has passing by this place so many times. Not really want to stop and take a look. Perhaps, I had seen it so many times. Here are some pictures taken from 2 different states in Malaysia. Perak and Johor.

Perak
Check out the hill slope. If you are driving fast, you won't notice this species at all. As it is growing together with the ferns, wild orchids and etc. And this hill slope with morning and afternoon sun. Very strong. Temperature is around 32-36C.


All of the upper pitches explore under direct sun light are reddish.


This is another hill slope covered by trees. Quite shady. Most of the pitchers are greenish. As you can see the sun light really make the different. Notice the seed pods?


One of the pitcher cover by ferns and branches...Minimun of sunlight.


This yet to open pitcher shining under direct sunlight... Emmm...make me thinking of something dirty. :p


The male flower... Yes. There are male and female flower.


Johor
This picture was taken in Muar, Johor. Same as other site, as N.gracilis growing under direct sun light. But this is not on the hill slope. But wide open space and very moist area. Picture taken at 10:30am.


The pitcher here slightly yellowish. Saw the fly on top? It drop inside right after i took this picture. Guess this is it's last picture taken. Smile....


If you see carefully, you can there are some water marks still remaining on the leaves. Guess this area is moist at night.


Just love the color....


Small bunch of pitchers. Around thumb size only.


For the expert in carnivorous plant, this species is very easy to grow. But it is not for the newbie. As if you are just into this hobby. Advise you to read more article and google for more advices in the internet before keeping any. Although this species is common and everywhere. But it is still under the protection of Malaysia government. Illegal poacher will end up in jail + fine. So, if you want any. Please buy from flower nursery. Or login to http://petpitcher.proboards61.com/index.cgi to get more infor.


Just love flowers...wild orchid.


Tinny pink flower at the road side.

19th April 2008 - Perak field trip.

This trip is to get some chocolate gouramis - Sphaerichthys osphromenoides for the biotope setup. As this fish is not a protected species yet. So, i can get some of them from the wild. But I will not enclose the location. So, please don't email me and ask.

This trip was planned 2 weeks ago. First is to get the above mentioned. Second is to learn something new from my friend - Pisces Lim. As he is a specialist into wild Betta. Studying and collecting all sort of wild betta all over the world. And of couse he is also very knowledgeable in other fishes, carnivorous plants and aquatic plants.

Pisces arrived on 18th April 2008, Friday night. But overnight in P's living place. T came all the way from Singapore and arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Pudu bus station at 3:50am on 19th April 2008, Saturday. Both of them came to Kuala Lumpur for the Zoo Negara Earth Day and Wetland Celebration. P suggested to goto the destination for netting at 6:30am. That is early!!! Anyway, I've woke up around 3:50am and goto Pudu bus station to pick T up. Back at home around 4:30am. Can't sleep at all and chatting with T till 6:00am. Then heading to P's living place.

Arrived P's house at 6:25am. P and Pisces quicky wash up and get ready to our destination. After our breakfast, we were stopped at somewhere in between our destination to check out the Cryptocoryne minima site where Pisces can't find on his last trip. (Pictures below are all taken by T. Fujifilm, Finepix E500)

Here is the stream full with Cryptocoryne minima and Barclaya motleyi. But that place full of mosquito as well. I got more than 20 bites on my hands within 5 minutes. Couldn't stand of it... Keep cursing the mosi....


C.minima and B.motleyi are growing together...Very cold water and PH is around 6.4-6.7


After 15 minutes spent at C.minima site, we were continue and drive all the way to our destination where we could find Chocolate Gouramis, Betta livida ( 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), Betta hipposideros (2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), Betta bellica, Paedocypris sp, (Slightly bigger than the smallest fish - Paedocypris progeneticai **n the world. Not yet described) Paros harveyi, Rasbora kalochroma, Channa bangkanensis and etc.
Check out the water color. It is just like a black coffee. This is due to tree leaf litters and create a perfect enviroment for all the black water fauna. PH is 3.2. Temperature on water surface is around 27-29C. Further in or deeper water temperature is around 24-26C.



Utricularia gibb a type of carnivorous plant growing in water, are everywhere and floating on the surface of the water. The tinny yellow thing on it is the flower of U.gibba. As it will capture the live micro-organism inside the water and eat.
Here is the close up of the U.gibba

Here is the close up of the U.gibba.

None of the protected species were collected. Due to the climate, the sea water level raising. The sea water intruded into fresh water stream. Guess this black water stream will disappear together with all the endangered species which can be found in here.
Trichogaster leeri aka Lace or pearl gourami found on the ground. Guess someone caught it and just leave it there to die. Please don't do that. Release them back if you don't want to keep.

After i got my chocolate gouramis and Pisces has his Paedocypris sp. We left this place with wounds on hands and legs again. As there are too many tree branches and plants which can cut through your skin easily.

**Paedocypris progenetica = http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/news/index.php?entry=/pub/20060125-Paedocypris.txt

Spammer!!!

This blog only up and running for a week. Received a very first spam. Great achive? Because of my blog started attracting public? Or just the spammer broadcast their software and want to try out how good they are?

Dear Spammer,

As all the comments posted has to go through me first before publish. Please don't waste your time to post any comment in my blog ya...

Cheers.

Nepenthes ampullaria "green" and "spotted"

Before i start writing anything about this species. I would like to let you guys know that, I am just using an Olympus MJU 410 DC only. But not the DSLR and without a tripod. So that some of the photographs are not so clear. And we took only the photographs of this beautiful species and left with our foot prints there. As all of the nepenthes species in Malaysia are protected by Malaysia government law.

Here is a basic infor about N.ampullaria. Perhaps you can spend a minute to read through it before reading mine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepenthes_ampullaria

27th April 2008. Sunny day. As I woke up at 6:45am to get ready for this field trip. My royal field trip partners - L and J was informed a day before (Last mintute decision) and they seem like can't wait to go for this trip. L keep SMSing me. All the SMS end with a wording...that is ampullaria. Like one of the SMS said that: Ok. See you tomorrow at 8am. Ampullaria!! I can stop laughing while reading his SMS.

J was the one who always offering his MPV. Guess he watched too many times of Fast and Furious -Tokyo Drift and drifting till his brake pad out of shape today. So, I hafta drive and pick up L and J in Damansara.

Arrived in L's living place around 7:40am. He has well packed his Nikon D70S and his 2 days old new toy - Canon FS 100. Since he is appointed as one of the Taiwan Pets magazine writer. He is spending most of his time into photograph, video recording and articles.
We've settled our breakfast fast at the nearby Malay stall. Not yet exit the Sg. Buloh toll, L starting his jokes and playing around with his camcorder. Honestly tell you that, you will never get bore if L is inside your car. Except while he is too tired and ZZZzzzzzz.....

From Sg buloh to the destination were took around an hour +. L still non-stop playing around with his camcorder and video down my "drifting" skill... Ok ok. Back to serious talk now. Actually, this trip is to find the Nepenthes gracilis, Nepenthes ampullaria, Nepenthes x hookeriana and Nepenthes rafflesiana. It is for L's article. I am just tag along for fun...

After 30 minutes from toll exit, we were stop at the road side. Spent an hour to take the
photograph and video of the Nepenthes gracilis. (I will cover this species in the next round.) J and L walked across the road and standing at the road side enjoying their cigarettes. I were trying hard to get my DC on the road side flowers. But still.... forget about it. I walked across the road and asking them what they saw. L was joking with me that he saw ampullaria. (Before that, he just saw the N.ampullaria from the books.) I was like...Really? Once I get close to them and look down to the slope of the hill. I saw this...

The giant narrow leaf of N.ampullaria. This is around 6 feet long with the leaves which are around 2ft long. I've shout... That is ampullaria! L keep asking where is it...where is it? Muahaha...He was thinking of the pitcher of ampullaria must grow on the leaf end. But for this species. It is not. Most of the pitchers are growing out near the root.

Without telling him much. I just jump down to the slope and use my bare hands to move away all the tree branches, ferns and others. Then I found this not so nice looking and not so healthy pitchers. But for L, he just grab his D70S and shooting non stop. There are few big ants bitting his neck and hands. But he is just standing still and didn't move at all. And I was standing behind him and helping him to get rid of the ants. And J was too scare to come down. As too many ants and the slope is very high. Then he keep asking..where, where is the monkey cup? Both of us were just ignore him... muahaha...

15 minutes later, L is decided to go further down to the bottom and check out. Guess he is not satisfied with the unhealthy ampullaria. And J still standing there and refuse to come down. L found a big long hole which made by wild boars. So far, i never worry about wild boars. Since we were at the 45% slope. We can climb faster than wild boar.

Both of us reach the bottom and found lot of Eleocharis sp and Eriocaulon sp. Wild boars foot prints everywhere. It is not easy to walk on the mud. Hafta step on the tree root and branches. L keep making some noise like Wow...this plant i never see before. Wow...this is new species. J couldn't stand it and running down. Hahaha... But then he was screaming like a female. Because he was bitten by the ants. Muahahaha... That was funny...

After J came down, we decided to goto different direction to look for N.ampullaria. Roughly 5 minutes walk, I found a bunch of N.ampullaria "green" pitcher. L and J were busy checking at the small stream with rasbora scissor tail. Shouting at them and got them to check it out....


While L and J busy with their photoshooting with the above.... I have found another N.ampullaria "spotted". Honestly, this is the nicest i ever see.


Just a few steps away...there is another bunch of them.


Is it a lot? No..it is not... Check out the next picture...


This is a lot!!!! Don't know where should I place my foot in. I am totally forgotten about L and J at this moment. Saliva coming out... hands shaking...sweating non-stop. I have to cool down myself and getting J and L to come over.


L still busy with the photoshooting on the first ampullaria "green". J trying to help me to move away all of the dry tree leaves, branches and etc. So that I can take this picture. Yes. I know picture is not clear. Due to low lighting and i didn't use flash. Here is the N.ampullaria "green" close up.


Here is the N.ampullaria "spotted"


Remember what i read from a book said that, monkey cup aka ampullaria is the only species will not capture any insects or small animal. The pitcher is wide open to collect rain water and any object which is falling from sky. Like dry tree litters.

Check out the picture at the bottom. The pitchers are all hanging in the air.


Finally, we left that place with smiling face. DC full with photographs. Shirts, pants and legs full with mud. Hands were full with cutting wounds.

Earth Day 22th April 2008 Part 4.

Nasir is busy trimming and cleaning the Cryptocoryne minima.


TS helping out to rearrange the sitting position...


Workshop going to start. As the audiaence are coming in. Seats were fully taken. Some were standing behind.


Here we have Hans welcoming the MC of the day.......(you can guess who....)


Oh man...is ME! Worst MC of the day.


Nasir is explaning what a biotope is and how the tank is to be setup to become......


First we'll have the sand as the base. Either river sand or holland sand... both can be use right after cleaning. The layout will look more natural if using river sand...


Oh man...My hand is not long enough...


Then driftwood is place to position within the golden section (What is Golden Section stand for? I will come out with this next time.)


Here, i am explaining to the public why the bag of Guoramis in tea colour water and why that these fauna can only be found in these water conditions.


Dry or dead leaves found where the fish is caught is used to lower down the water pH and condition as well as to provided nutrient for the plants indirectly.



Nasir is started planting...


A bag pf plastic is place on top of the setup. Water is then pour gently on top of it to prevent the force from the water to dispur the setup.

Water is pour till an inch above the soil for easy planting.

Water is fill till almost the top (I need to carry the pail up in order to provide sufficient force for the water to siphon out fro the pail to the tank)


The water is fill almost to the top and mix with the brakish water from where we got the faunas. This wil ensure we have a similar water condition for the fauna so they will not then to stress out much.

Then some portion of the tank water is mix with the water in the bag where the chocolate gouramis is and place inside the tank to reduce thier stress (Joe Lim can explain much detail than me on this...)

Similar floatig plants found on the catching site is place into the tank as well. These are know as a carnivourous plants - Utriculata gibba

Place the whole plastic bag into the tank before release the chocolate gouramis into the tank. This is to make the chocolate gouramis to get use to the tank water temperature.

Finally the water and the guoramis is mix and release into then tank

Done....And of couse, this tank will take months to mature and the aquatic plants will take months to grow and fully covered the tank.

Explaining to the public on the tank and other planted tank setup

Photograph session...

MAC....


Crew of the day....



p/s: All of these pictures taken by Canon 400D. with Sigma len 18-200mm and Sony A200.