at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve...me and huda....some of the signboards that we found outside the visitor centre....

at the visitor centre....we found this that shows us the official opening of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve....

the bird's nest fern outside the visitors center....

due to time constraint....we adopted the South View Path which takes approx. 45 minutes walk in the nature reserve...some of the steps that we used while walking the South View Path...
this was the really cool and magnificent lianas that we saw when we first enter the path in the nature reserve....

while there were so many plants and trees surrounding us...this was the most eye capturing view....

the seraya trees....or so call the tropical hardwood tree....

this was one of the most magnificent pair of seraya tree that we spotted during our walk in the nature reserve....they stood high up in the tropical rainforest looking and watching out for the other trees and plants.... probably just like the Twin Tower in K.L.....

this was one of the other seraya tree we saw....also standing very high up....amazing view we caught...
look closer at the texture of the bark....

the natural landscapes have its greenery but at the same time cannot avoid the fate of natural disasters....while in Singapore there are no such disasters...lighnting strikes or heavy rains during the monsoon season may also cause the branches to break off and the tree to die eventually....
one of the surprise that we found while walking the trail....a very tiny frog....almost camouflaged by the leave.....but spotted by Mrs Hiew....

lichens are the patches that are usually found on the bark of the trees... and the whiter the patches that are found on the trees, the more it symbolises that the health of the tree is deterioriating....
this tree with the white lichens found on it was situated outside the visitor centre....

walking into the nature reserve, there were so many different varieties of plants and leaves that one can spot...n these were some of the few that i found quite interesting...

the red pea; or the chinese usually call it the 'xiang si dou' i guess... these long leaves appear to have a smooth and leathery surface...

furthermore, most of the leaves that are found in the nature reserve are commonly known as drip tip leaves so that the leaves are able to remove away the excess water or dew on it...

the was one of the leave that most of us found it both interesting and kind of 'gross'...

'gross' in the sense that when we really magnify the camera and look closer at the leaves, the unknown tiny yellow dots on the leaves puzzled us...

the colors of the soil also determines if the land around the area if fertile or not...
this was one of the area that we found in the nature reserve where the color of the soil looks slightly different from those that we found...

these are the plants that are usually spotted to be growing on other trees or plants...taking at a closer look from this tree, one would be able to spot some vine looking plants that twirls around the tree...

some plants also twirls around the wood from the small bridge as these plants grow towards the sunlight...where most of the sunlight shine at, these plants will grow towards the sunlight...

Forgotten when was the last time I walked into the nature, and was beginning to forget how it feels like to be in the nature away from the busy town area. However, the Social Studies field trip this time round gave me a chance to walk into the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve again. I remembered that the very last time I had the chance to visit the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was during the leadership camp when I was still studying in the junior college.
As I drove up the road directed towards the Visitors Centre at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, the buildings that are so often seen in the city reduces and was replaced by a scene of greenery. With the slight drizzle around the area, the nature reserve just seems even more different from what I can recall. Leaves from the trees will occasionally have rain drops dripping down due to its drip tip feature. In the nature reserve, as people maintain the appropriate silence to ensure that others and the animals would not be disturbed, the sound coming from the nature just seems to be a form of music playing by the nature. As I walked towards the visitor centre at the nature reserve, I was amazed by the beauty the nature brought upon me. Just at the entrance of the visitor centre, there stood a tall tree with the bird nest fern among the branches at the top of the tree. Unlike the trees that are ‘placed’ at the city areas or even expressways, these trees are not man-made. The plants and trees in the nature reserve survive based on their abilities in the nature.
After the briefing with Mrs Hiew at the visitors centre, we proceed to our short journey hike for the day. Due to the time constraint and that most of us had to rush back to school again for lecture, we were unable to spend more time at the nature reserve that day. Pity, but the journey in the nature reserve was still fun and enriching for me. Frankly speaking, trekking was something that is not as simple as I had thought. Instead of walking on the normal road, we actually ventured into the forest with muddy floors and drops of water dripping on us every now and then due to the weather. Certainly not something I expected when I went for the trip, but something refreshing for me. The morning breeze and the smell of the nature made me feel extra refreshing and alert. Walking into the narrow trail with huge steep steps occasionally, I saw thick tree trunks from the seraya trees that formed such amazing sight. It was only through Mrs Hiew’s introduction that I found out about the seraya trees and observed for myself how tall the seraya trees can grow.
As we walked along the trail passing by the trees and plants, we took many photographs of them and the many differences that may occur in the natural landscapes. The bark of trees tells the health of the tree. The color of the lichens would be able to tell one whether the tree is growing healthily or not.
The nature surrounding may differ from one place to another, and for Bukit Timah Nature Reserve the differences also exist. After the development of the BKE, the nature reserve’s landscape was changed partly for the development of the expressway. As a result, the nature reserve was partly man-made. Through this module, I learnt about how Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was partially taken away for the development of the expressway leaving only part of the nature reserve intact. I walked into the nature reserve learning new and interesting facts about the only tropical rainforest that Singapore has now. Hopefully, in time to come I will have the opportunity to bring my students there for a tour and let them have a better understanding for the nature reserve too.