Two Short Visits To Central Catchment Area

We experienced very freak weather in Singapore in the month of June and July - traditionally two relatively dry and hot months in the year but instead we were seeing days of torrential rains coupled with strong winds causing floods and uprooting of trees which inflicted damages to properties and loss of life in one incidence. We hope Mother Earth recovers its normality soon. .

I didn't go for long outings recently due to the unpredictable weather. On two weekends, I dropped by at the usual wild place near the central catchment area to refresh myself.

This brilliantly coloured mammoth moth caterpillar was found along a forest trail. It looks hairy and scary. I wonder what species it is. A very pretty pink dragonfly, this is in fact a male Trithemis aurora is very common in parks and forest streams. I can't differentiate between two look-alike species, Brachydiplax chalybea and Aethriamanta gracilis ?I guess this is Nesoxenia lineata - not a very big dragonfly which was found along the forest edge in the northern part of the water catchment area. This is a dorsal view. When it was on a perch, its wings was spreading out in a rather unique way that I don't usually see on other species.This is a male Orchithemis pulcherrima which was found in a shady water-logged forest floor. Rather alert and flying high at times, it came down to perch on a dry twig for me to take a quick shot. On both short outings, I didn't see many butterflies and other wildlife that I used to see in our forest - I wonder if the super wet weather has made them dormant.