Another nature post before the weekend descends upon us (yay!). We went to the Hindhede Nature Park on Good Friday. It’s a short walk from our place and not very crowded. It’s a very walkable trail suitable for both young and old. There’s even a playground inside!
Adventure is out there!
What’s this?? Is it a relative of the tomato??
Spiny Licuala. It has very scary spikes along the leaf stem!
Family shot!
Hindhede Quarry is named after Hindhede & Company Ltd
I think it’s more than 35m deep!!
Water break for Anya
Fig tree! I think figs are absolutely fascinating! You know how they are called 无花果 in Chinese? Well, you don’t see any flowers on the tree because the fruit is the flower!! Ok, what I mean is, the flower is INSIDE the fruit. See the little hole at the end of the fruit? A wasp will fly in through that hole to pollinate the flower inside and also to lay eggs! The wasp dies in the process and never comes out of the fig so if you think your job sucks, well, just be glad you are not a fig wasp. And each species of fig can only be pollinated by a particular species of wasp. Amazing!
Anya’s first time in a swing! This is the only kind she won’t fall out of!
Looking a lot like her daddy in this shot!
Bridge
Fish-tail palm. Apparently the jagged leaves which look like they have been chewed on prevent the plant from being eaten by animals because most animals don’t like to eat leftovers. The flowers grow in a cluster which looks like a green mop and each new cluster grows below the old one. So when a cluster of flowers reaches the ground, the palm DIES!!!
Heeeyyyy… macaranga! The three-lobed leaf reminds me of Adidas! The macaranga has a symbiotic relationship with ants. It has hollow stems which the ants nest in and it produces a sweet nectar which feeds the ants. The fierce ants in turn protect it from predators! So clever!
Life in the Wee Hours 