Seagrasses, mass orchid blooms, hornbills and serious tree climbers

The latest issue of My Green Space by NParks features interesting articles about Singapore's biodiversity!
Seagrass: Dugong Food for Thought by Lim Wei Ling & Siti Maryam Yaakub shares fascinating facts about our seagrasses. For example, did you know that we have 12 species of seagrasses?! That's a good portion of the 23 species found in the Indo-Pacific Region!

They also share about TeamSeagrass, a network of about 60 volunteers, which carries out scientific and non-destructive monitoring of Singapore's seagrass habitats. The data gathered is sent to the Seagrass-Watch headquarters, which then analyses the trends and condition of seagrass habitats on a local, regional and global scale. This data helps us to better understand and manage Singapore's marine habitats.

Anyone who loves our shores and wants to learn more and do more for our marine life can join TeamSeagrass. Visit the TeamSeagrass blog for more details.

When Orchids Flower Gregariously by Dr Yam Tim Wing shares that the phenomenon last took place on 5 May 2009, when Dendrobium crumenatum (pigeon orchid) and Bulbophyllum vaginatum burst into bloom simultaneously.
Both these orchids are epiphytes, and can be seen growing on roadside trees in Singapore. How and why does gregarious flowering happen? Dr Yam explains in the article.

The Return of the King by Dr. Geoffrey Davison & Germaine Ong gives a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of "Singapore Hornbill Project - Return of the King". This 40-minute film is about the hornbill, the King of the Forest, and the massive challenge of bringing it back to Singapore's forests. Free screening of this movie is scheduled for 16 and 17 Jan. More details here too.

Climbing Trees is Serious Business by Germaine Ong shares more about the select handful of certified tree climbers among NParks' arborists (aka 'tree surgeons').
They climb the trees in parks and gardens when their job requires it. With details on how you can also learn how to climb trees, or simply enjoy trees with both feet firmly on the ground.

You can also win prizes of books, commemorative coins and shopping vouchers by participating in some simple contests.

View or download the latest My Green Space Vol 4 Issue 1/2010 from the NParks website.