A quiet day at Habu Boh Plantation...

On the eve of Hari Raya, I figured it would be quiet to be at the hills with everyone busy at home or stuck in traffic jams - my hunch was right (till Habu only I imagine) and we had a pleasant and quiet mid morning till noon at Habu (later it got noisier)...priceless.

 When we arrived there were only like 3 tables and so sights like this is rare...

 Got ourselves the necessary...

quiet blossoms on a quiet corner...

 single-petalled dahlias are a rarity these days...

 a tree covered with blossoming ipomea

an eucalyptus hill ahead

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After tea, we decided to climb the small hill for a view of the plantation...

 the telecom tower above...

 the factory below...

 vistas of the valley down below...

and another...

 old-fashioned roses...

 view of Farley Green below...a million-dollar view

 a female Purple sapphire butterfly sunning herself

and a male guarding its sentry point...

 a wild honey bee nest nearby...

 the way down...

 as the viewing area had been pruned of its tea not long ago, it wasn't so green but those outside on the lower valley was bright green and fresh...

Autumn market at Besançon

Autumn for me is always synonymous with bright fruits, strong aroma of the market place and lots and lots of pumpkin and late summer flowers on sale. Of course, it is also time to sniff out the freshly picked mushrooms and oysters if you live near the sea...
 It is interesting to see that up in the hills at Franche-Comte, there isn't that much of difference except maybe for the cheese, bit of bread (almost like German bread) and sausages...

A visit to FRIM

For the uninitiated, FRIM is the acronym of Forest Research Institute  Malaysia, situated in Kepong, Selangor. It is the oldest forest research institute in Malaysia and was created in 1925 with a concession of land from the Regent of Selangor.

Visit FRIM at this link: http://www.frim.gov.my/about-us/history-of-frim/

Well, I visited a friend in FRIM to discuss some entomolgical issues  and was lucky to be allowed to see the extensive butterfly collection housed in Block D:

Impressive tall trees and well grown forest make up the compound of FRIM and is a welcome change for KLites...

A great rarity: a female Meandrusa payeni or Kite Swallowtail (some call it Yellow Gorgon)

 The orange-tailed butterfly in the middle reminds me of my childhood chasing butterflies around my village: a now extremely rare Pintara pinwilli (a skipper or a flat because they always settle under leaves with wings outspread)

The butterfly with two white bands on the forewing is Lethe verna robinsonii, an endemic highland species in Malaysia named after the Robinson falls in the Cameron Highlands