The Trees Nobody Likes

I borrow the title from an NG's article from 1977. Think I've written about mangroves before. But I'd like to write about it again, having clicked this picture from CI's website: beautiful. and what are those things clinging on the roots? just fascinating!

I admire mangroves, their oddities, and strange appearance. an encounter with a very slender snake at mangrove forest on Pulau Untung Jawa was surely memorable. so, i admire these trees--only from a distance :)

Stamp Your Trees

Stamp your trees or make sure they got certified.

When buddy Ocha brought up this topic, i was in complete darkness: To reduce illegal logging and deforestation (one of Indonesia's major problems in environment), European countries have banned uncertified woods and papers from entering Europe. Tree growers and loggers and paper mills will have to need to register their products in the name of sustainability.

the concept is imho similar to Fair Trade Certification: ensuring reclamation, good compensation, no underage workers etc.

Good move given that Indonesia is a leading wood producing countries and--sadly--is also a country who is losing hundreds of kilometer square of jungle per day due to illegal logging.

i hope the implementation is also nationwide. if the illegal loggers can't sell any to Europe, perhaps they will turn to other continents or worst: local market...

("it's not time to worry yet" hey, i heard someone says that. Atticus!)

think i should call a friend. She bought a piece of land and covered the ground with young sengons*:
"Ms. Wacana, get your seedlings registered now! Then sell them to Europe and get rich!" :)



* Paraserianthes falcataria

Vegetal & Animal@Gunung Gede

Wallace mentioned Gede Pangrango more than twice in his book. I tried to climb Gunung Gede twice. on the last attempt last weekend, friends and i finally made it to the summit. all the way, i saw so many astonishing and rich vegetation and animals. i even saw a silvery monkey (owa jawa) eating leaves, snails, birds, and flowering plants. all in their perfect forms that i felt i should call it--quoting Wallace's term--"luxuriance"! i felt so happy!

Late Late Bloomer!

Rafflesias are curious things. six times visiting Kebun raya Bogor, I only got the chance to see it once and it was fading.

Last week Sulis smsed me, saying that no-blooming-for-more-than-80-yrs Rafflesia patma blooms for two days. ocha sent me the pic. the salmon colored flower indeed looks attractive! (photo by Koen Setyawan)

Feeling Vine

artistic vines@Kebun Raya Bogor

Sculptural

highly artistic pine seed

Solidari-Tree

these three trees grow side by side by the lake at UI. i'm amazed at how they manage to have "personal space". perhaps they chose not to compete for sunlight. how sweet!

Red Hue

tree, seaside, Tulamben

What's the Story?

Morning glories; v Tulambene

Lovely Grass that Is Rice

This rice, planted to complement the view of this one particular restaurant in Bandung. Sad. This rice will not fill anyone's stomach. they're purely ornamental....

Serumpun Padi(by R. Maladi)

Serumpun padi tumbuh di sawah
Hijau menguning daunnya
Tumbuh di sawah penuh berlumpur
Di pangkuan ibu pertiwi
Serumpun jiwa suci
Hidupnya nista abadi
Serumpun padi mengandung janji
Harapan ibu pertiwi

Out of the Dead Wood

spring this colony yellow beauties (Sumedang, 3 Jan 2010)

Morus Pocus (the Joy Mulberry Brings)

love mulberries. nothing beats the joy of sticking purple tongue at friends and laugh together. this morus tree I saw at warung Stroberi (?) in highlands off Bandung brought me back to Lawang. There near Polaman lived a family. The father worked the land best. the small boy i was had to walk slowly 10 m from the gates to the door for he eyed the mulberries. he would act nice so they would let him and friends climb the bush. his daughters was friends of ours. it was routine until i was about 10. everytime i passed their house i remembered them.

I'd climb the wall near Frateran back in SMPK to pick the bright deep red and deep purple berries. i knew exactly what Eve felt when she saw the forbidden fruit tree!

happy i am everytime i pick the berries!

Butterfly lovers

Last week when i went to that shop for groceries, it played a traditional Chinese music over the speakers. I thought, oh next week is Chinese new year! that's why.

It took me a minute to recognise what song: Butterfly Lovers Concerto! It was a version i never heard. Before, I only knew Vanessa-Mae's version: an orchestra backing her solo violin. It's one of my fav piece of orchestral music.

Then I remember Fiona ever mentioned this: Butterfly Lovers? That's Sampek Engtay!

Ah really? So I, as always, consulted Wikipedia: It's about a boy met girl. A Romeo, a Juliet. They were Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. In our dialect, they became Sampek Engtay.

I checked this video. this vid is cool. amazing. it makes me think of how a hundred legs become six and a wingless body become winged. that's the wonder of fasting, eh?

No Cooking Rice

Wow! think i can bring it for camping. I'll be boiling a litre of water. when it boils, i will pour it for my coffee and then the remaining will go for the rice. The meal is ready!

here's the good news from AP: Scientists invent rice that doesn't need cooking

Mon Feb 8, 6:29AM PT - AP 2:10 |

Agricultural scientists in India say they have developed a variety of rice that requires no cooking and can be eaten simply after being soaked in water. (8 Feb 2010)

Pome!

just want to say, I admire its flower. Last November I happened to see it for the first time in life. Beautiful! photo courtesy of Enti Nuridah

Poppy!

(poppy by Claud Mey)

Amorphophallus!

over the span of 10 yrs, been to the garden for about four times buuuuuuuuuut never once i spotted the famous parasite.
yesterday went there with Cika and Anast. happy i was, the plant there was.
it's not in the state of full spung, erect. rather, it's drooped.
but i'm happy to see it. fantastic plant!

Vegetal: Highlands of Bandung

Vegetal: Bali

Vegetal: Australia

I wrote that in early 1999. I am glad that it came true, been twice up to now. Kak Ester went to Auusie for the second time and sent me some preview of the continent.