This summer I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks in the field, in Seram, Maluku province, and also in Central and South Sulawesi. Joining me were Sita and Wihermanto, my colleagues from Kebun Raya Bogor where our research project on biogeography of Eucalyptus deglupta is based. We set out from Bogor in early August [...]
flora & fauna
Ujung Genteng – Sun, Sea, Surf and Giant Green Turtles
View at Picasa 19-Jun-2009 21:41, Canon Canon DIGITAL IXUS 80 IS, 2.8, 6.2mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 250 For a long weekend while Gill’s parents were visiting we chose to head out to the remote Southern coast of West Java to Ujung Genteng; this is about six hours bumpy drive from Bogor. Ujung Genteng is known [...]
Amorphophallus titanum
Last fall one the specimens of Amorphophallus titanum flowered in the Bogor Botanic Garden. Of course, by the time the Jakarta Post had managed to report that it was happening and we went along to take a look, the flower was looking a little droopy! The titan arum has the largest inflorescence in the plant [...]
Cicak Toast and other Lizard Tales
Geckos are everywhere in Indonesia, including in your house. There are two kinds of house gecko: cicak (small ones, pronounced chichak) and tokek (big ones). The cicak are territorial, numerous, and very bold; they like to hang out where there is an easy meal, and will sample any food you leave lying around unattended. We [...]