Dedicated blog on the Kambatik garden in Kuching

Today, taking advantage of the fast speed internet in KL, I took half of the morning to beef up a new blog dedicated to the Kambatik garden in Kuching.  This blog compiles my earlier stories and images of the Kuching garden that could trace the development of the Malaysian garden project in Kuching.  The blog url is http://kambatikgardenkch.blogspot.my/ . Happy visiting the garden.

A new butterfly drops by the garden

Common Mormon ( Papilio polytes romulus) settling on the Cats Tails leaves

 It was a very pleasant surprise this afternoon when I stumbled upon the Common Mormon.  It was seen flying about the garden in slow flight movements, which is typical of the species.  It hovered at the Yellow Ixora and moved about places to the heliconia leaves and many other plants in the garden.  When it decided to settle at the Cats Tails leaves for a brief rest a meter from where I stood, it spread out its wings to allow me a good photoshoot session.  The Common Mormon is a medium-sized 'swallow tail' with black wings.  Its hind wings have beautiful red marks  and a unique 'tail'.

Two birds in the garden

Long-tailed Shrike clinging on the terminal frond of the Carpentaria palm tree
Front garden

CU of Long-tailed Shrike

 My visit to Kuching will not be significant if I don't see the Long-tailed Shrike in the garden here.  I saw it clinging to the very tip of the terminal frond of the Carpentaria palm at the front garden just the other day.  So its presence in the garden is a confirmation that this species is indeed a Kuching bird.  I say this because I have not seen this bird in Bintulu, though I'm every ready for a surprise.  At the back garden it seemed customary for the Oriental Magpie-robin to wake me up early every morning.  Thus we are always served with  melodious musical notes from  morning to late afternoon.  I look forward to more sightings of other Kuching birds in the garden this visit.

A great songster - Oriental Magpie-robin

Kuching escapade

Late afternoon burning organic debris

Back garden

Back in Kuching city.  First things first.  The garden grasses, shrubbery, trees and vines are a bit overgrown.  More gardening work is envisaged.  The main thing is to tidy up the place for we gonna stay in Kuching a pretty while on this escapade.  Was pleasantly surprised to see the orchids flowering at the back garden.   This species will normally keep the flowers for about two months on the stalk.  Such brightness of colours are a welcome sight in any garden.  

Will be writing more about the Kuching garden soon.  Meantime enjoy the sunset from the garden.

View towards sunset

The Kuching garden in November'15

Pink to light purple bracts of the Congea velutina

Red relative of the Penda at the front
porch

 I feel very contented with the progress of the Kuching in November.  The curtain of pink to purple bracts of the Congea velutina provides a permanent wash of appealing pastel colours to the garden. Most plants have matured attaining heights that provide shade and home to the birds.  The latest regular visitor to the garden amazingly is the Pink-necked Green pigeon.  I saw a pair of them perching at the Poui tree (Tabebuia rosea) and then to the Eugenia oleina tree to collect the twigs from the latter for making its nest.  The front side garden is forever perfumed by the scented white flowers Great Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa).  The three Foxtail palm(Wodyetia bifurcata) have grown taller than me and begin to display its characteristic 'foxtail' fronds.

Scented white flowers of the Great Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa) at the front side garden

Foxtail palm (Wodyetia bifurcata) - with leaflets arranged in a spiral to resemble a soft brush or foxtail
Location : Back side garden

Pink-necked Green Pigeon at the Poui tree branch

Bulbuls are at home here

A pair of Yellow-vented Bulbul having rest on the Eugenia oleina branch

Yellow-vented Bulbul

 The Yellow-vented Bulbul is a resident of the garden .  A few species of birds have found the garden a comfortable place to build home.  Those happy to build homes here are the Chestnut Munia (Pipit), Spotted-necked Dove (Tekukur), Olive-backed Sunbird and the Yellow-vented Bulbul.  From early morning to sunset we will not fail to hear their various calls.  Wildlife is an essential element and litmus test for the Kambatik garden.

Leaves of the coconut, bamboo, durian, lumok and Eugenia oleina in a mixed planting plan at the back side garden.  The purple vine is Congea velutina.

Sample of Wildlife

Pictures show sample of wildlife (besides birds) on this 53rd trip to Kuching
Kambatik garden, Kuching.

A White-breasted Woodswallow came perching

The White-breasted Woodswallow (Artamus leucorynchus) was seen perching on an electric cable just next to the side front garden.  It did not notice me in the beginning as I was hidden amidst the canopy of trees down below.  Being inattentive to my presence I could arrange to get a closer shot of the bird.  I am always excited to see the white contrast of its breast against a grey body.  Another feature of the bird that attracts me is the light blue bill.  This bird normally shows itself in a pair or in a small group.  Today it came alone.

Enjoying the garden with birds and wildlife

Tekukur bird (Spotted-necked Dove)  at the side garden
1 June'15

Orange-bellied Flowerpecker
2 June'15

 It is something priceless when you can reap beauty that does not belong to you.  The garden is well established now and the fun is just about to begin.  Its time to begin to enjoy the garden with birds and other wildlife.   The joy of having the garden visited by these beautiful creatures is unspoken happiness.  The morning air today was filled with the twitter and calls of the Orange-bellied flowerpecker, Spotted-necked dove and Magpie-robin.  Closer to ground there were butterflies and dragonflies.  I noticed one dragonfly was resting on the Cape gooseberry plant (Physalis peruviana) belonging to the Tomato family, that has been growing luxuriously on this 53rd trip to Kuching.  I guess I'll have the gooseberry fruits for lunch later.

Lime Butterfly

Dragonfly

Dragonfly at the Cape gooseberry plant

The Cape gooseberry plant growing luxuriously

Ripe fruits will turn orangish yellow.

Brown-throated Sunbird at the Blood Banana

Brown-throated Sunbird at the Blood Banana inflorescence

Terminal inflorescence of the Blood Banana

Flowers after the rain

Plumeria acuminata

Bignonia magnifica

 The weather is Kuching on this visit has been rainy for most of the time.  It rains in the day as well as at night, though not as heavy as during the end of year monsoon rains.  As a result working in the garden tends to be cooler though the grounds are kept wet or damp most of the time in March.  There are many varieties of flowers that are featuring themselves now of which a few have been covered in the last posting.  To continue the series of flowering plants at the garden this month of March are the following.  Enjoy their beauty!

Senduduk (Malay) - Melastoma malabathricum

Ixora coccinea

The Malaysian garden defined

View of Kuching Kambatik garden looking north-east
25 March'15

Long purple
sprays of
Congea velutina

 The side garden is attaining the image of the Kambatik garden now.  The cascading network of long violet or purple sprays of the Congea velutina is a crowning glory to the Malaysian garden.  This plant has been trained to climb the tall 'Lumok' tree with its leaves providing broad shapes in the garden landscape canvas.  The flowers are actually small but it is the four petal-like bracts of the Congea velutina that provides the colour.  The garden too is a grove of various palms and columns of trees with attractive colours when in flower.  Striking foliage colours provide permanent colours to the garden in many hues from  pale yellow  to red .  The thick greenery around the house is home to a growing list of many nesting birds and fruiting trees.  It provides an inviting passageway to visiting birds, butterflies and many other representatives of the insect world by day.  This is the garden character that is definitive of the Malaysian garden which I have researched over a decade and defined as the Kambatik garden.  It is a garden sanctuary of wildlife, a micro world of the original forest once gone, a place in the sun where shade creates a micro-climate conducive to many passive and active recreation under the tropical sun and a source of edible fruits and medicinal herbs within an arm's length.  What more could Malaysians ask?
For those interested to know the full list of plants suitable for the Kambatik garden can check the plants lists which I have shared online in the following blogs shown below:-
( Note: The page views indicated below are as at 26 March'15.)
All the plants (4th Ed.)  -  10,608 page views
All the Plants (3rd Ed.)  -  203,442 page views
All the Plants (2nd Ed.) -   30,913 page views
All the plants (1st Ed.)   -  54,258 page views

Groove of palm trees makes the garden tropical and exotic.
View of side garden, looking north.

Wings of interest

Autumn  leaf butterfly

Common garden birds (Part 2)

Spotted-necked Dove or "Tekukur"  in Malay

 The trees at the Kuching garden are now nicely maturing.  Their column of green volume provides shade to the garden and home to many of the garden birds too.  The bamboo clumps are home to the Spotted -necked Dove and the Chestnut Munia.  The Eugenia oleina trees are home to the Olive-backed Sunbird.  Other birds are mainly day trippers. They include the Yellow-vented Bulbul, Brown-throated Sunbird, Oriental Magpie Robin, Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker, Asian glossy Starling. Plaintive Cuckoo, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Zebra Dove.

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Chestnut Munia