Prayers and Support for Blotanists friends - Japan Earthquake 2011

Many of us have watched in horror at the massive destruction and tragedy in relation to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11th, 2011.

From our Blotanical community, we have 5 garden bloggers who are residing in Japan. They are ok now, but if you wish to convey your heartfelt messages of support to them, the following are their details with links attached.

1. Mr Lrong - PotagerY and Malaysian in Japan (Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture)
2. Mr Fer - My Little Garden in Japan (Yokohama)
3. Mr Takaedo - Small Vege Garden in a Suburb (Osaka)
4. Mr Nakashima Akira -Garden Life (USA City, Oita)
5. Mr Adekun -Adekun's Japan Blog

This is another defining sad moment in our lifetime, so shocking no words can describe. I spent most of my free time watching CNN, BBC and NHK and I can't help thinking about the Hollywood movie 2012. What is happening to our world now? Is our Mother Earth sick and distressed?

I hope in this trying time, we could find strength in adversity, faith and hope. It has been proven so many times that during a crisis, the whole world can unite and stand as one, to offer assistance, prayers and help those affected.

“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”  ..... Ryunosuke Satoro.

We can check with our country's NGOs and main news websites on ways we can volunteer / make donations. GOOGLE' s website has resources, emergency aid contact numbers and Google Person Finder on their homepage.

Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) The Largest in the World? PBF Part 5 - Wordless Wednesday

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“Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) The Largest in the World? PBF Part 5 - Wordless Wednesday”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on March 9th, 2011.

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To participate and/or view other entries, please visit Wordless Wednesday website here.

The moth has been sighted in John & Jacqs home garden in Malaysia. Her post is here.

Updated on 22 Aug 2011:

A pair of mating Atlas Moths

The male is on the left while the female is on the right. The female moth is larger, heavier but sexually passive. She does not stray far from her chrysalis but stay perched at an angle where the air currents can best carry her powerful pheromones. Male moths are smaller in size with more tapered wings. They are more active and they fly around nocturnally. Their large bushy antennae are equiped with chemoreceptors to help detect pheromones from several km away. This helps to track down their mate. Once mated, the female starts to lay eggs and hence begin another new life cycle of the Atlas Moth. The process of mating and oviposition can happen on the same day she is born!

Their life span is very short i.e. only 1-2 weeks and it seems that they live for the sole purpose of propagating the next generation. Such is the beauty of Nature!

There's a saying,

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough".

~Rabindranath Tagore

Note: The image above has been published with permission from Ker Ai Choo. My grateful thank you very much.

Rajah Brooke Birdwing, The National Butterfly of Malaysia - PBF P4

Male Rajah Brooke Birdwing (Trogonptera brookiana albescens)

At the Penang Butterfly Farm, I was very lucky to view and photograph this magnificient beauty. The Rajah Brooke Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana albescens) was discovered in 1855 by Alfred R. Wallace. He named it after Sir James Brooke (1803-1868) who was the first white Rajah of Sarawak. Sarawak is a state in Malaysia located in the island of Borneo.

The Rajah Brooke birdwing is the national butterfly of Malaysia.

This gorgeous red-head has been nicknamed, the 'Prince/Princess' of butterflies. Their wing span is about 15-17 cm or 5-7 inches. They are found mainly in the tropical rainforests of the Thai-Malay Peninsular, Borneo, the Natuna archipelago and also Sumatra.

Male butterflies have velvety black wings characterised by 7 tooth shaped electric green markings which make them look very elegant. The one in the picture above is perched on a yellow mussaenda flava plant.

Female Rajah Brooke Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana albescens)

The wings of the female birdwings are browner and there are prominent white flashes at the tips of the forewings and base of the hindwings.

Rajah Brooke Birdwing, The National Butterfly of Malaysia - PBF P4”, a copyrighted post, was written for My Nice Garden blog by Autumn Belle @ http://www.mynicegarden.com/ on March 8th, 2011.

Underside of male Rajah Brooke Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana albescens)

Sightings of these butterflies are rare and we can only find them at butterfly farms and certain protected areas. The Rajah Brooke Birdwing is listed as an endangered species under Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). It is also protected under our country's Protection of Wild Life Act 1972.

It was reported here in January 2010 that the removal of a historical pipeline in Gopeng for scrap metal have destroyed the largest site for Rajah Brooke birdwings in Ulu Geroh. Ulu Geroh is located in Ulu Kinta Forest Reserve and it is a major tourist attraction for viewing these butterflies in their natural habitat. The group of butterflies that congregate here may number as many as 100! In the past, the harvesting of this butterfly for sale as preserved specimens, gifts and souvenirs have led to declining populations. Our government is educating the local villagers around the area to act as stewards in looking after the butterflies and make a living from eco-tourism instead of catching them for sale.

I think that with the wonderful invention of the digital camera, many of us can take photos/videos for rememberance, thereby waiving the need for catching them alive and harming them in the process.

These butterflies feed on nectar from flowers of certain plants such as the bauhinia, mussaenda, ixora and lantana. Newly emerged males need to get potassium and sodium minerals to activate adult behaviour, hence the male butterflies will gather in a large group to sip nutrients from wet soil or mud puddles.

The above video, sourced from YouTube, shows a congregatory of male Rajah Brooke birdwings exhibiting their unique 'mud-puddling' behaviour . For more information, you can also visit the following sites:

1. Learn About Butterflies Site by Adrian Hoskins, here
2. The Star Online report, here.
3. The Malaysian Nature Society article, here.

While I am not an activist, environmentalist, scientist or conservationist, I do hope that you will get to know more about this national treasure of ours afer reading my post. Their numbers are fast declining due to specimen collection and destruction of their habitats by deforestation and rapid development. We can also do our little part by not catching or harming them so that the butterflies will be prevented from extinction. Let our future generations enjoy the privilege of seeing them alive, fluttering and swirling around. What an unforgetable experience it shall be.

Specimen picture of male and female Rajah Brook Birdwing from Wikipedia

Question: What's the difference between the first 3 pictures and this one?

Answer: The last picture are dead specimens. If the butterfly becomes extinct, our future generations will not get to see the Rajah soaring to new heights but rather with their wings pinned up!

"We never know the worth of water till the well is dry." ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732.
and,
"Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us." ~Henrik Tikkanen

Do you have a rare/protect/endangered species of butterfly in your country and which one is it?

And to all the ladies out there,
HAPPY 100th INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!

This is my entry for My World Tuesday, the link is here.
My grateful thanks to Mr Andy Loke, staff of Penang Butterfly Farm for explaining to me the differences between the pictures of a live, resting birdwing and that of a dead specimen.