cameron

hey peop, i just got back from cameron highlands... hmm... give u guys an update on that place...

it's becoming very commercialised over there and sad to say most of the trees have been cut down for construction... it's pretty warm there during sunny days... air is a bit polluted due to the vehicle's exhaust fumes...

i manage to visit 2 butterfly park there... both have the famous rajah brook's birdwing... one of the park had only rajahs in the enclosure... and most of them were not flying... there were like hundreds of males and 2 females...

it's nice... but when i see the kids handle them, i feel sorry for the butterflies... they were like pinching the wings of the poor insect until the wings are tattered and they were unable to fly... and left there to die because it can't fly... why they were pinching? coz they wanted to put the butterflies on their shirts to take pictures of themselves... sigh... parents dun even teach them...

there were many dead carcass of the birdwing on the floor... so i decided to take one of the dead carcass home maybe to keep it or something... i don't know yet... the wings look very new... and the blue irridiscence can be noticed too...


the second park was better... they had signs on the wall like "do not catch the butterflies" they had many different species... common mormon, great mormon, rajah brooks, common birdwing, blue and chocolate pansies, lotsa malayan eggflies, crows(not too sure what crow is it), red helen, common roses, orange tip, blue tiger and many more...

they had lotsa asclepias currasavica grown in there, and it's favoured amongst all the butterflies esp the birdwings... no caterpillars though
but i learnt something, impatiens are a good nectar source... and they had lotsa asystasia intrusa which is the great eggfly larval foodplant and the malayan eggfly foodplant... i saw some caterpillars and some were squashed on the floor, probably it was venturing out for pupating site... sad sight though...

manage to get some seeds from the milkweed there...

hmm... not much butterflies in cameron though... saw a male great mormon flew past... no birdwings in sight..yeah...

but the visit to the farm was a fulfilling one...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dude83

..but i learnt something, impatiens are a good nectar source...

...manage to get some seeds from the milkweed there...

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Which species of Impatiens do they have there ?
This type ? http://www.netpamj.com/impatiens-ctyd402-412.jpg

Do you have photo of them ?
and which species of milkweed did you get ?

i got asclepias currasivica over there...

as for impatiens i have the picture, but it isn't that clear,i will try to post it up

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dude83

i got asclepias currasivica over there...

as for impatiens i have the picture, but it isn't that clear,i will try to post it up

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The problem with Asclepias currasivica (Blood Flower) is that its roots tend to rot and does not grow fast enough to sustain viable butterfly population.

As for Impatiens, we will give it a try. I will ask Rosalind to plant some in AH.

icic..

hmm... maybe that milkweed loves to grow in well drained soil... high amounts of perlite in compost should do the trick... ;-)

but well, if u want the seeds, i can post some to u... they are very fresh... ;P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dude83

i manage to visit 2 butterfly park there... both have the famous rajah brook's birdwing... one of the park had only rajahs in the enclosure... and most of them were not flying... there were like hundreds of males and 2 females...

it's nice... but when i see the kids handle them, i feel sorry for the butterflies... they were like pinching the wings of the poor insect until the wings are tattered and they were unable to fly... and left there to die because it can't fly... why they were pinching? coz they wanted to put the butterflies on their shirts to take pictures of themselves... sigh... parents dun even teach them...

there were many dead carcass of the birdwing on the floor...

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I visited one of the park last week. This is the first time I visited a butterfly farm. It was disheartening to see so many disorientated birdwings, bluebottle, etc clinging to the net, some aimlessly crawling on the floor, some hopelessly feeding on flowers that have no nectar. I am no expert of butterfly but I can tell they are starved and mistreated!

By paying an entrance fee to visit the farm, I am actually encouraging the "crime" :-( . Sigh....