Doria’s Angle-Headed Lizard
leppidio June 25th, 2009
An interesting creature has joined the farm: Doria’s Angle-Headed Lizard. Try to watch their different skin colours when you are at the farm!
Dine & Draw at Penang Butterfly Farm’s Papilio Cafe
AL June 15th, 2009
Mummy, look at my drawing...
Creativity and expressive!
The little ones from Starbright Kindergarten, Chai Leng Park & Simpang Ampat Centre putting out their love and passion on drawing at Penang Butterfly Farm’s Dine & Draw Session.
Dine with Butterflies at Papilio Cafe!
leppidio June 13th, 2009
Have you ever catch a sight of a Rajah Brooke butterfly while sipping coffee? Finding a place to unwind for the weekend?
Those of you who might have visited us lately would have realised that our new Papilio Cafe is now open and you can have a meal or perhaps just coffee with butterflies fluttering beside you. Papilio Cafe being located inside of the Penang Butterfly Farm is a relaxing place for visitors or tourists to enjoy food yet a chance to observe nature. Local dishes such as Nasi Lemak or Chicken Rendang are served here as well.
Apart from enjoying our natural garden with butterflies, we offer great packages for kids & families as well such as Butterfly Birthday Bash (with a FREE mystery insect gift for the birthday child), Hand & Face Painting, Caterpillar Egg Hunt Game, The Wild Wild Guess Game (I like this game!), Insect Petting Session, Pebble Painting Workshop, Butterfly Release and many more! To make a booking, please call Ms Chong / Ms Kyra o4-885-1253.
Papilio Cafe is Now Open!
Congregation of Rajah Brooke Butterflies, Kuala Woh Recreational Park
AL May 31st, 2009
The striking metallic green butterflies congregating at the river banks
Can 2 different species of butterflies mate with each other?
leppidio April 30th, 2009
I wonder if this could be an evolutionary process where a new biological species may arise. For more than over 20 years we have been around, our field lepidopterist claimed to have not seen this before. Look what we have found recently:
Can two different butterfly species mate with each other? What do you think?
These 2 species of butterfly have been found mating in our farm late evening yesterday. The male is a Cethosia cyane, while the female is the Parantica aspasia. Could this be just an accident in nature? Or can nature or its surrounding force the butterflies to change their behaviour? Possibly, studies have found that behavioural changes in plants and animals can occur as the environment changes. So how has the environment change? What else might be the cause for this?
4 hours later: I googled further into this and realised that speciation can occur in butterflies, and it has been simulated in laboratory before. Our senior lepidopterist also did confirm that this was possible previously through random pairings of Heliconius butterflies, but limited to butterflies in the same genus.
Click here to read about the the speciation of a Heliconius hybrid. I can say that the butterflies in the genus of Heliconius are a truly advanced species. I might cover more about that at a later stage.
If you have anything to share about this, please feedback to us at our forum:
http://miraclesofnature.org/naturetalk/index.php/topic,370.0.html
Earth Day 2009
leppidio April 22nd, 2009
Yes, today is Earth Day 2009… Why are we watching Earth Day? If you live on Earth, you should know what to do to save the Earth.
Some facts to know about the climate change:
- Human activities are now adding about 7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere every year and this contributes to global warming.
- As the world grows warmer, diseases such as malaria are predicted to spread, due to the carriers of disease spreading out over a larger geographical area.
- As many as 15 to 37% of all wildlife species in some regions could be “committed to extinction” by 2050 years because of global climate change. Our butterflies will go extinct too.
You can also download a free Earth Day wallpaper from us:
Earth Day Wallpaper by MiraclesofNature.org
Countdown of Penang Earth Hour 2009 Campaign, Island Plaza Penang
AL March 29th, 2009
The rain was pouring heavily as I make my way to the official countdown venue for Penang Earth Hour 2009 at Island Plaza. My first initial thought when the heavy drops came by was to hope that it will come and go off soon. Let this important and meaningful undertaking arrives in a pleasant manner for all.
It was still raining as I reached the venue by 5.40pm. However that did not damper my spirit. I quickly unload my boxes and bags of butterfly host plants which will be distributed to all our Penang Earth Hour countdown supporters. Thankfully, the security guards at the shopping complex were kind enough to assist me in the unloading, looking at I was alone. Uncle, thanks again, I hope you managed to get our Cleome rutidosperma plant!
I started to place the paper bags on the registration counter. Seemed like the paper bags were kind of attractive and create much curiosity. In moments of time, I had passers by popping in asking the content of the paper bags. While I explained to them that the Cleome plant are meant for free distribution in aid of our Caterpillar Club Butterfly Conservation project, some were simply thrilled to hear and receive it. The first plant was given away to a keen gentleman from DELL. We hope he will help us to spread the awareness of Butterfly Conservation in long run!
Welcome to Penang Earth Hour Countdown! Supporters being provided with a Cleome rutidosperma plant and goody bag while registering
By 720pm, the remaining set up inside the shopping complex foyer were almost done and ready for the countdown. The rain had stopped too. Our Organising Chairman, Mr. Eddy Low were seen busy entertaining our other invited guest, Datuk Dr. Chan while awaiting for the arrival of YAB Mr. Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang. The queue at the registration counter was kept busy with the many supporters coming in. I almost missed out in noticing the arrival of your YAB Mr. Lim Guan Eng until I saw his smiling and friendly face walking across. Following behind were YB Danny Law, Penang State EXCO for Tourism Development, Culture Arts & Heritage, our Organising Chairman and other invited guests. Dressed in our Earth Hour black color t-shirt, he looked much younger than I had seen him in newspaper and happy too!
In between the start of the event to the speech from our Organising Chairman, the crowd kept coming in. Soon all our door gifts and plants were given out in no time. And yet, the queue was still there!
Supporters of Penang Earth Hour waiting anxiously for the countdown at 8.30pm
The crowd was almost filling up the whole foyer of the shopping complex soon after the speech by the YAB Mr. Lim. It was more than what we anticipated for. Nevertheless, we were thrilled to see the much support of the many Penangites on this peculiar event. Hopefully the message of reducing the power usage and coming together to fight global warming goes across the many minds of all our supporters on that particular evening.
Mr Eddy Low presenting a souvenir plant to Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Mr. Lim Guan Eng
Penang Butterfly Farm, had the privileged of presenting (represented by the Organizing Chairman) a pot of the Cleome rutidosperma, a butterfly host plant for the Leptosia nina. It was a gift of greening the earth and conserving more butterflies!
Soon the time came for the important countdown. YAB Mr. Lim Guan Eng together with all the invited guests were at the stage preparing for the countdown. A gigantic switch had been prepared for our YAB Mr. Lim to be power off. At 8.29pm, the crowd started to the countdown and when it came to the 3, 2,1. Everything lights were off. The place was in darkness for a second. YES! Penang marks its inaugural support of the global action on reducing power consumption.
YES, Penang Earth Hour 2009!
The next moment, little kids came behind the stage came up with lanterns and luminous sticks. They had their funs twiggling and waving the color sticks around the stage! As the minutes ticked by and we were all casually hanging around, I noticed there were many photographers who also came by to capture this significant event. I supposed such event like this deserves a good coverage!
For the next hour, the crowd were served with refreshments and chinese musical instrument while sitting around chit chatting. As the clock struck 930pm,the lights came back. I noticed some faces among the crowd showed a sigh of relief. To how much the extend or impact of this global action had brought to them, I have no answer. But I am glad that the awareness had spread. Thank you to all the Earth Hour supporters!
The much anticipated inaugural Penang Earth Hour 2009 countdown at Island Plaza came
Earth Hour, 28 March 2009, 8.30pm
AL February 26th, 2009
At 8.30PM on 28 MARCH 2009, 1000 cities and towns across the world will turn off their lights for ONE HOUR – sending a powerful global message that it’s possible to take action on global warming.
An initiative which started in Sydney in 2007 whereby lights were turn off for an hour, this noble gesture had spread across 370 cities and towns in more than 35 countries across 18 timezones, and the campaign shifted from a Sydney event to a global sustainability movement a year later. An estimated 50 to 100 million people around the world switched off their lights for Earth Hour in 2008, and global landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Rome’s Coliseum, the Coke billboard in Times Square and Jumeirah Hotel in Dubai darkened for one hour.
In what we hope will be the world’s largest mass participation event, Earth Hour 2009 will be the culmination of one billion people around the globe, in more than 1000 cities from business, government and the community turning off lights, and sending a message to world leaders in the lead-up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009 that we need a commitment to actions that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions for the short and long term benefit of the planet.
It is our delight that Penang Butterfly Farm together with other major tourist attractions in Penang had the privilege to join hands and support this significant Earth Hour cause. For the first time ever, Penang will be supporting this effort with many interesting programs. Major shopping complexes, hotels, government state buildings and many other tourist attractions have pledged their support on 28 March 2009, 8.30pm to power down the electricity of their non-critical areas premises.
Prior to this, some organisations had taken up their own initiative to organise some interesting awareness programs such as Essay Competition, GREEN Performance and NO CAR DAY. Penang Butterfly Farm, having its role played in the nature and environment sustainability efforts will be distributing 100 Butterfly Host Plants to all invited guests during the official countdown day at Island Plaza, 8.30pm. These host plants are meant for greater propagation which in directly translates to more butterflies in our Earth. Having said this, butterflies which play an important role in pollination will interact with other animals, plants and the physical environment in the ecosystem. The effects of the global warming which had already begun will continue to deteriorate if the ignorance and selfishness of human beings toward Mother Nature sees no mercy and stop.
Earth Hour is simply a message of hope and action. Imagine what we can do if we act together. Already, through the extensive WWF International network, Earth Hour 2009 will be delivered in over 60 countries; the number growing is each day.
For the sake of our future generations and loved ones, pledge your support with us - Earth Hour 2009 today!
Secret of Eternal Youth is found in an Immortal Jellyfish
leppidio February 7th, 2009
Immortal Jellyfish - Turritopsis nutricula
Believe it or not, according to scientists, the creature you see, which is a 5mm jellyfish is actually… immortal. It could possibly be the only creature in the world which is actually immortal.
Jellyfishes normally die after propogating themselves asexually, but most jellyfish of the genus Turritopsis are able to revert back into an immature sexual state after reaching adulthood, therefore technically, they could never die. It was also documented that it could transform into its younger form (in a bloblike cyst, which then develops into a polyp colony - the first stage of a jellyfish’s life) even when facing crisis, starvation or physical damage.
Such jellyfish which is a hydrozoan is believed to be able to transform itself from its adult state into younger state through process called transdifferetiation, where a type of cell can transform into another type of cell. This is usually only found in organ regeneration among living beings, but occurs quite naturally in this creature. These jellyfishes are now invading the oceans and its numbers are increasing rapidly. Marine biologists and scientists are now keeping a close eye on these tiny creatures.
Other known immortal species includes: Turritopsis dohrnii
Well, another creature which is believed to be immortal is the Hydra. It has been suggested that hydras do not undergo senescence or the aging process, and so are considered biologically immortal.
The jellyfish has also spark some humour on Scott Adam’s blog.
Generally speaking, animals in the natural world are very wary of attacking anything which might cause them harm. To do so would potentially cause them major injuries, reducing their chances of successfully catching prey. It is an effective survival mechanism, honed over centuries of evolution, so that apex predators avoid one another and other animals which could be dangerous to them. Now and again though, two closely matched creatures will stumble across one another. Sometimes, either through desperation or stupidity, this will result in a titanic struggle, a spectacular encounter which may end up with one or sometimes both animals sustaining life-threatening injuries.
Winners of the Nature & Insect Conservation Photography Competition
leppidio December 12th, 2008
Have you seen the winners’ photographs of our Nature & Insect Conservation Photography Competition?
You may view them at the below page (forum):
Nature & Insect Conservation Photography Competition Winners
Don’t forget to join our discussion at the forum too! 
