Yellow Project :Eurema Brigitta senna- No Brand Yellow (Pt 2)

[Great Mormon]

Save the yellow project!

The tractors have already been rolling in @ the Silvermines as we all know. And our little friends habitat is going to disappear soon in the name of development! :cry: For the time being, the place is still OK to visit and take some last few memorial shots of these skittish fellas. Also, for those who are keen in re-locating them, please do lend a helping hand!

As mentioned before, the No Brand Grass Yellow or Eurema Brigitta Senna is a newly discovered species in SG and only to be found in a wasteland on the outskirts of Punggol. The species was discovered sometime in Oct 2006.

"The underside forewings are without cell spots. Upperside forewing black apical border serrated, but not more deeply excavated in spaces 2 and 3" - source: Corbet & Pendlebury Edn 4 page 98.
Females are slightly more unique in that the yellow colour of the hindwings are lighter than the forewings on the undersides, as can be seen in one of the sample photos. The males' undersides are unicolourous as with the other species of this genus.

Some BC members have tried to cultivate the plant but to no avail until now. There are a few plants growing well and still struggling to survive @ Oh's Farm. The host plant for the NBGY is Cassia mimosoide, a rather rare plant that trives on poor soil. So far, BC members have only confirmed 2 sites where this plant can be found.

Some eggs and a total of 4 cats have been collected and relocated them @ Oh's Farm and placed in a control environment. Hopefully, they will breed and produce offsprings for the generations of NBGY yet to come. Thats the story so far.

Credits goes to Khew for sharing your knowledge and insights and Yeok Keong for successfully germinating the Cassia mimosoides + breeding ground. Also Sunny for the trouble of going all the way across the cause way to get the seeds that could actually be the 2 plants i saw over @ Oh's farm! :cheers:

Here are some of my records for the host plant Cassia mimosoides (pardon me for the lack of knowledge and quality in recording):
http://th03.deviantart.com/fs34/300W/f/2008/301/f/4/plant_by_inckurei.jpghttp://th98.deviantart.com/fs34/300W/f/2008/301/7/e/flower_by_inckurei.jpg
http://fc54.deviantart.com/fs35/f/2008/301/8/5/leaf_by_inckurei.jpg

NBGY ovipoisting:
http://fc57.deviantart.com/fs34/i/2008/301/5/8/oviposting_by_inckurei.jpg

Here is the cat(not sure of which instar)
http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs34/f/2008/301/7/7/cat_by_inckurei.jpg

The NBGY
http://fc12.deviantart.com/fs35/f/2008/301/c/d/No_Brand_Grass_Yellow_271008_by_inckurei.jpg

[Leopard Lacewing]

Good work for this article and NBGY project and I'm sure your effort and patience will not be wasted, Anthony! :thumbsup:

Good luck! :cheers:


Cheers!

[Silverstreak]

Anthony,

Good work !:thumbsup:

Wasn't free during the long weekend to lend a helping hand! There are numerous healthy young plants on the spot we shot the mating couple.Will be transplanting some to Oh's when I have the time.


:cheers:


BTW the young plants at Oh's could be from seeds I collected from Johore and I passed to YK.

[Great Mormon]

Thanks Sunny for the trouble for getting the seeds all the way from across the causeway. I took some seed pods which Khew spotted on the way out. Took quite a hand full of it, hopefully most of the plants can be cultivated!

Another thing is the fogging near Oh's farm. Heard from henry that the smaller butts didnt survive @ the butt lodge. :cry:

[Commander]

Sunny, if you're digging them out, please dig as deep as you can. For a plant to survive in such sandy and dry conditions (where water drains off very quickly), the roots have to go down very deep for it to survive. Hence if you cut off the roots at a level which is too shallow, the plants may not survive the transplanting.

Good effort on the documenting, Anthony. :thumbsup: Your shots aren't too bad lah. Just have to look for more "photogenic" angles of the plants/leaves with cleaner backgrounds in future. In this location, it shouldn't be a problem, since the plants grow singly most of the time.

[Great Mormon]

Sunny, if you're digging them out, please dig as deep as you can. For a plant to survive in such sandy and dry conditions (where water drains off very quickly), the roots have to go down very deep for it to survive. Hence if you cut off the roots at a level which is too shallow, the plants may not survive the transplanting.

Good effort on the documenting, Anthony. :thumbsup: Your shots aren't too bad lah. Just have to look for more "photogenic" angles of the plants/leaves with cleaner backgrounds in future. In this location, it shouldn't be a problem, since the plants grow singly most of the time.

Thanks Khew! i will take note next time.

Sunny, please let me know when you are going down. This is one good reason to clear leave/off! i'll give you a hand in digging up those plants as well as collect more cats if needed for YK.

[Peacock Royal]

Yes, Khew is right that we must really dig deep to pull out the roots (best with soil attached). Otherwise the survival rate of transplanting is close to zero (YK and me have experienced it ). The leaves can get dried up very quickly also. So far, Oh' Farms has managed to grow a few of them from seeds, not from transplanting.

[atronox]

I hope this yellow project will be as successful as the harlequin one.:grin2:
With much effort, i am sure that they will survive in their new habitat.

[Great Mormon]

I hope this yellow project will be as successful as the harlequin one.:grin2:
With much effort, i am sure that they will survive in their new habitat.

Aaron,

under the tutelage of the experts here, i have very high hopes that the yellow project will be a success story in the making!

[atronox]

Aaron,

under the tutelage of the experts here, i have very high hopes that the yellow project will be a success story in the making!I think so.
Fr the description of the host plant, it seems very hardy and the roots sound similar to the roots of those plants in semi-arid conditions?

[Great Mormon]

I think so.
Fr the description of the host plant, it seems very hardy and the roots sound similar to the roots of those plants in semi-arid conditions?

Aaron, Im not sure if Seng Kang is very far away from punggol, you could pay that place a visit, its not too far from civilization. You could ask any of us for the location if you are unsure of the place :D

[atronox]

Aaron, Im not sure if Seng Kang is very far away from punggol, you could pay that place a visit, its not too far from civilization. You could ask any of us for the location if you are unsure of the place :D Nope, it's not too far. I've actually been around there bt i'm not too sure if u r referring to the west or east of Punggol. The west side is more promising as there is still a small "forest" there, also going to be cleared for development.

[Blue Nawab]

Hi, is it possible to move the plants to some other places that can breed the species? Where exactly is the location?

[Great Mormon]

Nope, it's not too far. I've actually been around there bt i'm not too sure if u r referring to the west or east of Punggol. The west side is more promising as there is still a small "forest" there, also going to be cleared for development.

Im not too sure about that. Punggol is about an hour half away. to get to the NBGY spot, it will take close to 2 hours of travelling time!

Its near the kopitiam which is next to a super market/grocery store along the edge of punggol. Im not too sure abt punggol -.-

[atronox]

Im not too sure about that. Punggol is about an hour half away. to get to the NBGY spot, it will take close to 2 hours of travelling time!

Its near the kopitiam which is next to a super market/grocery store along the edge of punggol. Im not too sure abt punggol -.-Yes, bt from where i stay it's not too far. I just haf to take LRT, train and Lrt again(bt which station to get off, i dunno). Fr ur description, i would say it's the east rite?

[Great Mormon]

Yes, bt from where i stay it's not too far. I just haf to take LRT, train and Lrt again(bt which station to get off, i dunno). Fr ur description, i would say it's the east rite?

good question Aaron, i will need the street directory, i dont think gothere.sg shows the lrt yet.. but its near block 641A... theres an entrance near the bend of the road, you can just enter from there, alternatively, you can climb the pile of earth on the right hand side and find the host plants(they are usually around the hostplants)

[atronox]

good question Aaron, i will need the street directory, i dont think gothere.sg shows the lrt yet.. but its near block 641A... theres an entrance near the bend of the road, you can just enter from there, alternatively, you can climb the pile of earth on the right hand side and find the host plants(they are usually around the hostplants)
Oh yes, thx Anthony. Mr Khew once told me how to get there and the nearest station is PE5 Kadaloor. Coupled with the block no, i roughly know where the path is.

[Great Mormon]

Hi, is it possible to move the plants to some other places that can breed the species? Where exactly is the location?

Hello,

The plants are quite hard to breed since the roots are deep and it grows in some semi-arid and sandy ground.

So far YK has manage to breed it successfully @ Oh's farm. I cant really tell you the exact location because its kind of in the middle of no where =X but what Aaron said is pretty accurate.

Save the yellows!

[Great Mormon]

good news:
went to the farm today, 4 of the cats pupated.
unfortunately, the eggs that i collected from last week, only one survived :(

looks like i need to go back to the NBGY spot and collect more cats and hopefully they will breed locally at YKs farm.
http://fc48.deviantart.com/fs35/f/2008/307/5/7/NBGY_pupae_by_inckurei.jpg


YK's plants seem very healthy!
http://fc40.deviantart.com/fs33/f/2008/307/d/0/Cassia_mimosoide_by_inckurei.jpg

[Archduke]

hopefully by next week we can see the results

[wasabi8888]

Good work Anthony....

I am glad to see a conservationist in the making...

[Great Mormon]

Good work Anthony....

I am glad to see a conservationist in the making...

1st of many Jeff! Still learning from the grand masters such as Khew, Sunny and Bobby!

No butts shall go extinct in SG due to development!

[Silverstreak]

Chanced on a few Cassia mimosoides on another location, unfortunately it is unlikely to support a population of NBGY.

[Cruiser]

The Cassia mimosoides show below (somewhere near my house) are doing very well and the NBY should survive and spread fast there. Will try to transfer some NBY cats there this weekend (provided I can find them at Punggol) :cheers:

[henrykoh]

Great find and great idea. Hope to see them flourish here.

[Great Mormon]

thats great benjin! we can do the tran locating as soon as possible then!

[Peacock Royal]

Many female NBGYs were busy laying eggs last Saturday. Hopefully you can find some.

[Archduke]

looks like things are going well. hope they dont fog the area again and all the smaller butts perish. btw. since its around the same area where the nbgys are found, should we also attempt to save the silverlines?

[Great Mormon]

looks like things are going well. hope they dont fog the area again and all the smaller butts perish. btw. since its around the same area where the nbgys are found, should we also attempt to save the silverlines?

actions speak louder than words!

[Archduke]

perhaps sunday. their cats and host plant not as easily found like the nbgys...
just hope that the host plant is even around after what we've seen

[Archduke]

after reading one of the older blogs entries. i think it might be quite tough. =[
need ants to attend to them
http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/2007/11/silverlines-of-singapore.html

[Great Mormon]

looks like some of the eggs survived! :redbounce but the fogging is still going on :cry:

a) there are a couple of cats on the little plant which YK grew...

b) several of the butts eclosed and are flying around within the butt lodge! which is good news! they seem to be doing well!

here are some better records of the cat and the leaf of the Cassia mimosoides.

http://th04.deviantart.com/fs39/300W/f/2008/313/2/c/NBGY_cat_2_081108_by_inckurei.jpg

http://th03.deviantart.com/fs38/300W/f/2008/313/4/8/NBGY_cat_081108_by_inckurei.jpg

http://th04.deviantart.com/fs39/300W/f/2008/313/a/5/Cassia_mimosoides_leaf_081108_by_inckurei.jpg

[Silverstreak]

Good work ! Yes action speaks always !:)

Perhaps you might wanna feed the cats with leaves taken from the site or those near Ben Jin's place, and let the few successfully germinated plants grow first ....

cleanly cut stalks of leaves, use scissor to cut them cleanly and wrap them in damp newspaper in a plastic bag to keep them moist , immersed the stalk of leaves in water can last 2-3 days before they wilt, excess leaves can be wrapped in damp newspaper and store in the fidge in a plastic bag in the veg/fruits compartment.

:cheers:


PS: Unable to help lately, was away most of the week.

[Great Mormon]

Good work ! Yes action speaks always !:)

Perhaps you might wanna feed the cats with leaves taken from the site or those near Ben Jin's place, and let the few successfully germinated plants grow first ....

cleanly cut stalks of leaves, use scissor to cut them cleanly and wrap them in damp newspaper in a plastic bag to keep them moist , immersed the stalk of leaves in water can last 2-3 days before they wilt, excess leaves can be wrapped in damp newspaper and store in the fidge in a plastic bag in the veg/fruits compartment.

:cheers:


PS: Unable to help lately, was away most of the week.

There are a few cats over at Oh's Farm. We can move their later generations to the spot which benjin found?

[Archduke]

progress. here are some pictures. notices the cats have some form of liquid at the end of the hairs... asked uncle khew about it liao and he said its moisture, but anyway here are some of the cats.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0036a.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0055a.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0060a.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0067a.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0074a.jpg

[Archduke]

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0076a.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0042a.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh146/log1t3ch/DSC_0062a.jpg

looks like the project is going well.

[Great Mormon]

indeed, good pictures! :cheers:

[Peacock Royal]

Khew, Anthony and Mark, the effort that you guys put in has paid off :thumbsup: . Thanks

NBGY is quite safe for now. :)

[Great Mormon]

hurray!!!

Thanks fedrick for the heads up!!!
great! now we can see the next generation of NBGYS! :D

[Great Mormon]

and update, i took some eggs back from punggol last month. Only 5 manage to reach pupa stage. This is the 1st one to eclose.

http://fc09.deviantart.com/fs47/f/2009/184/8/1/No_Brand_Grass_Yellow_030709_by_inckurei.jpg

[Peacock Royal]

I feel that we have been neglecting this species. Hope they will do well in HortPark area.

[Peacock Royal]

An update.

Visited that place this morning. Good news is that the place is still untouched (at least for now) and at least half a dozen females were fluttering near the host plants (quite a number of them but not very tall tough). However, the stretch of grassy patch parallel to Sungei Serangoon has been cleared.

Is about time trans-locating some females to elsewhere eg Hortpark, Seletar ?

Sharing a shot here.

[Great Mormon]

The yellows are not doing well in the enclosure :(
Perhaps seletar could be a better place to translocate them?

I can try to breed a bunch of them again and try to release them in Hort Park again, this time outside the enclosure where we are propagating the host plant.

[atronox]

This yellow project is doing fine!:grin2:
They're even helping to control the weed;P

[horace2264]

Visited the Punggol during lunch hours. The entrance to the site had been cleared with a perimeter fence about to be put up. Initially thought that the NBGY site had been wiped out as I saw a big patch of cleared land stretching far in. :omg:

A closer look revealed that the clearing of land stopped at the other side of the stream adjacent to the NBGY site, and the site is still intact with host plants and a few adults.

However with a few marked poles with the red/white tapes nearby, there is a good chance the clearing could be extended to the whole NBGY site soon. :sweat:

[horace2264]

Just two shots taken with my handphone showing the extent of land clearing near the NBGY site as at today.


The usual path we took to reach the NBGY site is cleared with wooden fence posts already in place.
12897


Cleared land on the other side of the stream near the NBGY site (in the foreground).
12898

[Peacock Royal]

BJ and I translocated some NBGYs to Seletar siite this morning. Let's prey they will survive and establish a new home there.