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.