Apr 27, 2008

Tropical plant - Mimosa Pudica - Sensitive plant

This entry is about a special plant called Mimosa Pudica that is able to folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat. When touched, the leaves folds as if it alive.

Common name for this plant is "Sensitive plant" or "Shy plant". In Malaysia, it is called "Semalu". Based on the common name, the impression is that the plant is "shy" because of its folding capability when touched.


Mimosa Pudica shrub


Mimosa Pudica bloom


More about Mimosa

Mimosa is a genus of about 400 species of herbs and shrubs, in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family Fabaceae. The most curious plant in the genus is Mimosa pudica because of the way it folds its leaves when touched or exposed to heat; many others also fold their leaves in the evening. It is native to southern Mexico, Uruguay and Central America but is widely cultivated elsewhere for its curiosity value, both as an indoor plant in temperate areas, and outdoors in the tropics. Outdoor cultivation has led to weedy invasion in some areas, notably Hawaii.

Members of this genus are among the few plants capable of rapid movement; examples outside of Mimosa include the Telegraph plant, and the Venus Flytrap.

The genus Mimosa has had a tortuous history, having gone through periods of splitting and lumping, ultimately accumulating over 3,000 names, many of which have either been synonymized under other species or transferred to other genera. In part due to these changing circumscriptions, the name "Mimosa" has also been applied to several other related species with similar pinnate or bipinnate leaves but now classified in other genera, most commonly to Albizia julibrissin (Silk Tree) and Acacia dealbata (Silver Wattle).

The plant can be found in many parts of Bengal, where it is known as lajjabati (literally a shy female).

Mimosa Pudica

Mimosa pudica is well known for its rapid plant movement. In the evening the leaflets will fold together and the whole leaf droops downward. It then re-opens at sunrise. This type of motion has been termed nyctinastic movement. The leaves also close up under various other stimuli, such as touching, warming, or shaking. The stimulus can also be transmitted to neighbouring leaves. These types of movements have been termed seismonastic movements. The movement is caused by "a rapid loss of pressure in strategically situated cells that cause the leaves to droop right before one’s eyes". This characteristic is quite common within the Mimosaceae family.


For more hi-resolution photos, check out my Flickr Gallery: Plant

Apr 22, 2008

Tropical yellow bug

This entry is about a yellow bug.






Yellow bug live on YouTube


More hi-resolution photo on my Flickr Insect and Bug gallery.


Apr 17, 2008

Red-weevil bug - Series #2

This entry is the second series on Red weevil-like insects.


Tinny red weevil on a nail head.


Tiny weevil with my palm at the background.


Tiny weevil on mosses. The green thing is an orchid root.

More hi-resolution photo on my Flickr Insect and Bug gallery.

Related posts:
* Red Weevil-like Insect - Series #1

Apr 15, 2008

Tropical furry caterpillar - Series #6

This is the sixth post on tropical caterpillar, i.e. furry orangey caterpillar.


Furry caterpillar doing a balancing act


Furry caterpillar on a banana leave


Furry caterpillar exploring new territory



YouTube Live

Related posts:
* Tropical yellowish caterpillar - Series #5 (spiky caterpillar)
* Tropical caterpillar - Series #4 (shoe brush caterpillar)
* Tropical caterpillar - Series #3
* Tropical green caterpillar - Series #2
* Tropical big green leave cutter caterpillar - Series #1


Check out more hi-resolution photos on caterpillars at my Flickr Caterpillar Gallery

Apr 13, 2008

Tropical bug with big hind legs

This is my first time encountered a bug with hind legs bigger than the front legs.


Bug with muscular hind legs


Two bugs with big hind legs perched on a tapioca leave.



YouTube Live


For more hi-resolution photos, visit my Flickr Gallery: Insect/Bug

Apr 12, 2008

Tropical Wild Mushroom, Fungi, Series 6

This is the 6th series on tropical mushroom (fungi).

The mushrooms grow on a dead rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) tree.


Macro shot with focus on the front subject


A cluster of mushroom on the same dead rubber tree.


The dead rubber tree covered with fungi.


A tiny grasshopper (or was it a locust) among the fungi stand.


Related topics:
* Tropical Wild Mushroom, Fungi, Series 1
* Tropical Wild Mushroom, Fungi, Series 2
* Tiny mushroom - Toad stool - Fungi, Series 3
* Tropical Wild Mushroom, Fungi, Series 4
* Tropical Wild Mushroom, Fungi, Series 5

* More pictures on Tropical Wild Mushroom - Gallery#1
* More pictures on Tropical Wild Mushroom - Gallery#2

Bug with spiky legs - Series #2

This photo post is the second series on bug with spiky legs.

The photos here was much better as compare to the one in the first series. As for the bug, I only managed two shots. Two shots and it's gone, disappeared among the leaves.


Bug with spiky legs


Bug with spiky legs. Could it be a member of the spider family ?

Related posts:
* Bug with spiky legs

Apr 7, 2008

Tropical yellowish caterpillar - Series #5

This is the fifth series on caterpillars, i.e tropical yellowish (or pale yellow) caterpillar. These caterpillars were found to have infested our Longan tree. At least 11 of those caterpillars were plucked from the Longan leaves and destroyed after the photo shoot.

This specimen of yellowish caterpillar with red head is roughly 2 inches long.



Spiky yellowish caterpillar with red head


WITH FLASH: Spiky yellowish caterpillar with red head. Look at the water beads on the caterpillar spikes.


Below is more small size photos of the spiky yellowish caterpillar. Same caterpillar, different pose.


Left: Side-way macro shot with natural light.
Right: Side-way macro shot with flash.


Left: Frontal macro shot with natural light.
Right: Frontal macro shot with flash.


Left: Frontal macro shot.
Right: Frontal macro shot.


Left: Side-way macro shot with flash.
Right: Side-way macro shot.


Left: Side-way macro shot with a measuring tape.
Right: Side-way macro shot.



YouTube Live

Related posts:
* Tropical caterpillar - Series #4 (shoe brush caterpillar)
* Tropical caterpillar - Series #3
* Tropical big green leave cutter caterpillar - Series #1
* Tropical green caterpillar - Series #2


Check out more photos on caterpillars at my Flickr Caterpillar Gallery

Apr 5, 2008

Bug with spiky legs

A photo of a bug with spiky legs. I was unable to take the photo from the top or side as the bug is extremely conscious of it surrounding. That's why I only manage to get shots of this bug from underneath.



Bug with spiky legs

Predator bug

A predator insect is having a meal.


Lunch time

Tropical caterpillar - Series #4

This is the fourth series on caterpillars, i.e tropical shoe brush caterpillar.


Shoe brush caterpillar perched on a kalamansi leave.


A look a like: Horsehair Buffing Brush


For hi-resolution, check out my Flickr Gallery: Caterpillar


Related posts:
* Tropical caterpillar - Series #3
* Tropical big green leave cutter caterpillar - Series #1
* Tropical green caterpillar - Series #2

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