Short Afternoon Walk At Windsor Nature Park (27 May 2017)

It rained the night before and hence I was not able to go for my usual night macro photography session, so I planned to go for a walk in the next day afternoon instead. It was between Seletar Reservoir and Windsor Nature Park, and looking at the overcast sky I decided to go to Windsor Nature Park as the chances of finding beetles on an overcast afternoon will be greater there.

Here's a photograph of a Jumping Spider that I came across at the place. The new flash diffuser seemed to work pretty well on this spider, as can be seen from its reflective eyes.

The first beetle of the trip was a Ant-like Flower Beetle (Anthelephila cyanea) found under a leaf of a Elephant Ear plant (Alocasia Macrorrhiza).

The place was rather wet from almost a week of rain, and it was so hot and humid that I was sweating like a pig only after a 10 minutes of slow walking. Coming to a standing dead tree, I was glad to find a pair of 5 mm Shiny Fungus Beetle, which I have not encountered for a long time.

The sky started to rumble with thunders and it looked like it may rain in a short while's time. Undeterred I decided to pick up my paces until I came across this 5 mm  Rove Beetle under a Bracket Fungus on a dead tree stump.

Near to the Rove Beetle was a wood pile where this 10 mm Fungus Weevil was spotted scavenging on tree trunk overgrown with small black fungus mushrooms.

On  the same log was a group of different type and size beetle larvae feeding on some brown fungus mushroom.

It was just about now that the lightning siren was sounded at the nearby Singapore Island Country Club. The siren was to warn golfers on the greens to stop because of lightning risk. From my past experience I know that it would rain in a short while after the siren was sounded. Nevertheless I was still pushing for the last few minutes before heading back. Just at the turn back point was a fallen tree where this lone beetle larvae was found moving actively on it, possibly looking for a place to hide from the impending rain.

The last beetle for the trip was a group of Fungus Beetle (Episcapha quadrimacula) found on a dead log near to the beetle larvae. Reluctantly after photographing this beetle I have to turn back as it looked like it would rain any moment. True enough when I reached the car park and got ready to go, it started to drizzle slightly.

It was indeed a very short 1 hour trip but I am glad to still be able to find the Shiny Fungus Beetle at the place. Windsor Nature Park (aka Venus Drive) has never failed to turn up interesting beetles each time I visit the place.