I’ve never seen this bird before, have you? Actually, someone last saw it in 1985 in Madagascar’s Lake Alaotra. And just recently, experts has confirmed that it has gone extinct due to human poaching and other predators. Another beautiful species is lost forever…

Will we get to see more species disappearing? Oh yeah, of course.. that depends on you and me and WE are about to DO next …

Goodbye bird ( Tachybaptus rufolavatus ) …

Changi Airport's T3 Butterfly Garden featured in Architect Concept magazine.

In 2008, we had consulted Changi Airport in creating a natural butterfly garden, and the project was recently highlighted in the landscaping section in the Architect Concept magazine. Thank you for featuring us!

《甘志明彩蝶苑》正式开幕! | Opening Ceremony of the Butterfly Garden at SRJK(C) Kim Sen, BM.

日前参与准备大山脚金星小学的《甘志明彩蝶苑》蝴蝶放飞造势活动，才惊觉现今的华小已经不再是念死书的纸上谈兵时代了。

在这所规模不小的校园内，有一位被人们称誉为 “蝴蝶妈妈”的老师，这位蝴蝶老师便是致力于研究与培育蝴蝶的沈幼清老师。由于沈老师对蝴蝶的热爱, 再加上郑丽爱校长的大力支持及前家教主席甘志明先生的慷慨赞助之下, 一股蝴蝶热潮就这样一呼百应下带动了全校上下总动员齐心合力地出钱出力创建这所校内蝴蝶园, 也为校园带来了另一番风景。

这所彩蝶苑不但可以美化校园，更让学生们亲眼目睹蝴蝶的真实生态及其生长过程，还可以参与蝴蝶培育及研究工作，这不但激发孩子们对自然科学的兴趣， 更身体力行地引领孩子接近大自然、认识大自然及关爱大自然的教育活动，实为其他学校的最佳典范！

槟城蝴蝶园有幸参与早期彩蝶苑的兴建过程，并从旁给于专业的意见，甚至延发至后期与金星小学进行彩蝶养殖交换计划。除了身体力行支援彩蝶苑的蝴蝶品种数量之外，从而也起到与本土学校相互交流的良好作用。

蝴蝶放飞造势活动 | Butterfly Release

快乐蝴蝶园地为学生及老师们带来了无尽欢乐。| The butterfly garden brings joy to the students and teachers.

漂亮的蝴蝶老师对丑陋的毛毛虫付出无限的爱心。| Butterfly teacher and her caterpillars.

桦斑蝶 | Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)

金星小学彩蝶苑的其中两位成员 | Butterflies at SRJK(C) Kim Sen, Bukit Mertajam.

快乐毛毛虫 | Happy Caterpillar

Chin Aik Siang, Jason Ch’ng , Goh Yi Zhang, Brendon Yeoh, Cheah Zi Jun, Wang Yong Xiang

If tears could build a stairway and heartache make a lane, we would walk to anywhere to be with you again.

In Memoriam To The Dragon Boat Mishap: Building Our Youth For The Future – Lim Guan Eng
Condolence – Angeline
To Fulfill His Wish – Father of Jason Ch’ng

Condolonces from various Dragon Boat Clubs from other countries:

24th January 2010

It’s very sad to have received the tragedy that happened in  Penang.
On behalf of the Japan Dragon Boat Association, we do wish to  express condolences to the victioms.

This happening proved how important  it is to abide by the water safety  regulations, otherwise dragon boat sport is  taken as a dangerous sport.

Best regards,

Makoto Shobu, Japan Dragon Boat Association

—-

24th January 2010

All at DragonBoat SA and the South Australian Dragon Boat Community offer their condolences for the sad loss of six young dragon boaters in Penang .

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims.

John Holland
President – DragonBoat South Australia.
Fierce, Fast & Furious

—

18th January 2010

I am a dragon boat paddler, formerly of Darwin Australia, now residing in Brisbane.  I was born in Taiping, Perak.  I have paddled on many occasions at the Penang International Dragon Boat Festival.  I was there with my club at the Club Crew World Championships in 2008.  For a short time I was on the Board of the Australian Dragon Boat Federation.  Lim Chien Aun and I have known each other for many years through dragon boating.

It is with a heavy heart that we in Australia heard about the terrible tragedy with the Penang junior dragon boat paddlers.  Our prayers and thoughts are with all of you in the Penang dragon boat fraternity.  Our condolences to the families of the lost ones and the many young students who were so close to the tragedy.

Richard Lim
MBBS (Qld), FRACGP
Coorparoo, QLD

—

20th January 2010

Sincerest condolences for the loss of these dragonboaters. Our thoughts are with you all. Powerblades DBR club Adelaide Australia

Andy Kelly MACMHN
Clinical Practice Consultant – Mental Health & Dementia
Royal District Nursing Service of SA

—

19th January 2010

We write through tears of sadness as we learned of your terrible news from Penang. You must be shattered at the loss of so many young people from the Chung Ling High School together with their teacher and the dismay must be felt right across Malaysia.

Together we have watched the progress of Chung Ling High School over recent years. Jenny and I find young people like these inspirational. They always showed good manners, worked as a polished team and win, lose or draw, were always an asset to our sport and a credit to their families. To lose 5 young people with such potential and their teacher with so much to give is heart-breaking. We share with you our deepest sorrow.

It is incredible that an occasion which commences with such joy, hope and expectation can so suddenly turn to tragedy.

From all of us at Dragon Boats Victoria we extend our deepest sympathy to you, our PIDBF friends, Penang Forward and the family and friends of those from Chung Ling High School who we have lost.

We will keep you in our prayers.

Best wishes
Jenny and Jonathan Mayne
For the Board of Dragon Boats Victoria

Photo credits goes to:

http://www.pbb.com.my/

http://dreammakerphotos.com/blog/?p=535

Ride with CM Videos:

http://www.malaysiakini.tv/video/17980/ride-with-cm.html

Ever ride a bicycle? Used to ride but haven’t been riding lately? Just went cycling last week?

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready in your suit and gear, coz’ you’re all invited for Ride With CM, a massive cycling event organised by the G Club, a group of recreational cyclists. Ride With CM is going to gather a bunch of cyclists and will start hitting the roads on 25th October 2009.

This bicycle riding event has 3 categories:

1. Family Rides - Difficulty: Easy & open for only 200 bicycle riders
   12 km from Town Hall Esplanade to Gurney Drive, then turn into Bagan Jermal and return.
2. Teluk Bahang Rides – Difficulty: Easy to Moderate & open for only 300 bicycle riders
   50 km ride from Town Hall Esplanade to Teluk Bahang roundabout and return.
3. Round Island Rides – Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging & open for only 500 bicycle riders
   80 km from Town Hall Esplanade proceed to Lebuhraya Jelutong passing through Bayan Lepas then Balik Pulau follow by heading to Teluk Bahang then Batu Ferringhi and return.

Why not register yourselves? This might be your only chance to ride your bicycle with our Chief Minister, YAB Lim Guan Eng and together with many other Penangites.

Online Registration at Howei (fastest option)

Registration at Penang Bicycle Shops

Download Registration Form

…………

And here’s everyone’s reward at the end of the journey…

A healthy and halal Curry Chicken set meal + Dessert !

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!

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

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