6-12 Sep: Highlights of the week ahead

For kids and the family

• "Our Home, The Rainforest" with Cicada Tree Eco Place
• All about edible plants at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden
• "Creatures in Nature" Drama workshop for kids
• Let’s Discover Plants & Animals

MORE school holiday fun! Check out the special biodiversity activities for kids and the family. And more school holiday events.

Long weekend tip: to avoid the huge crowds that can develop, visit our wild places early in the morning. This is also when it's cooler, and the animals are more active. More info for exploring our wild places on your own.

Walks in wild places

• Forest walk at the Botanic Gardens Rainforest Trail
• Trees of the Fort at Fort Canning Park
• Wallace Education Centre Gallery walk
• Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh on Saturday and Sunday.

Film

• 8 Sep (Wed): "Earthlings" in aid of ACRES

For Nature Society (Singapore) members only

• Dragonfly Walk at Venus Drive
• Talk on "Singapore’s Dragonflies"

Registration now open

• 6 Oct (Wed): "Our Home, The Mangroves" with Cicada Tree Eco Place
• 2 Oct (Sat): "Our Home, The Grassland" with Cicada Tree Eco Place
• 26 Sep (Sun): Dive Pulau Hantu with the Hantu Bloggers
• 15 Sep (Wed): "Our Home, The Grassland" with Cicada Tree Eco Place

Highlights of Singapore nature news

• Howard Shaw: green crusader akshita nanda Straits Times 6 Sep 10;
• Last kampung in Singapore a tourist draw Huang Huifen Straits Times 5 Sep 10;
• You can't separate climate from economy Grace Chua Straits Times 5 Sep 10;
• Singapore in final stages of developing world's first City Biodiversity Index Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid Channel NewsAsia 3 Sep 10;
• Sand dredging in Cambodia wraps up as firms await contracts from Singapore Vong Sokheng and Sebastian Strangio Phnom Penh Post 2 Sep 10;
• Flaring from Bukom refinery worries some Victoria Vaughan Straits Times 2 Sep 10;

Highlights of Singapore nature blog

• Blue dragons from The annotated budak
• Whimbrel feasting on fiddler crabs from Bird Ecology Study Group
• Observation Notes on Forest Hopper/Coon from Butterflies of Singapore
• Walk in Sengkang forest from Urban Forest
• Hog run from The annotated budak
• A Long-tailed Beauty @ AHBT from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature
• Stork-billed Kingfisher fishing from Bird Ecology Study Group
• Smooth Otters at Pasir Ris Park from Nature Spies
• Snake eats crab - a first report in natural conditions from wild shores of singapore
• NEA comments on flaring at Bukom from wild shores of singapore
• The Smell of Death from My Itchy Fingers
• Chronicle of Mr & Mrs King from Life's Indulgences
• Asian Dowitcher from Biodiversity Singapore
• The Flower Crab is Now Four from Darwinian Left. Of all things evolved
• Black-naped Oriole’s 16 different calls from Bird Ecology Study Group
• Chek Jawa and volunteers in the Prime Minister's National Day Rally speech from wild shores of singapore

Photo of the week are stunning shots of our fireflies by Colleen Goh in the latest issue of Wetlands, a magazine of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Read more about it on wild shores of singapore.

12 Sep (Sun): Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh

Free guided nature walk along the Mangrove boardwalk under shady mangrove trees. Spot mudskippers, crabs and other marine life, learn about our mangroves, enjoy views of the Johor straits.

Suitable for young children.

Registration is not required for small walk-in groups. But each walk is limited to 15 persons per guide and is on a first-come -first-served basis. The walks are weather permitting and may merge with other activities at the Reserve. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.

More about the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the wildsingapore website and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve website. This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NParks' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and is held every Sunday morning, subject to availability of guides.

Time: 9.30 am (subject to availability of guides) for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre.
Tour duration: One to one-and-a-half hours. Suitable for young children.
Entry charges: While the walk is free, admission fees to the Reserve apply: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

11 Sep (Sat): Dragonfly Walk at Venus Drive

for Nature Society (Singapore) members only

Following our successful inaugural dragonfly trip in July, our second dragonfly walk will take place at the Venus Drive trail, conducted by 16-year old Cheong Yu Jia and supported by her 13-year old brother Cheong Yi Wei. Binoculars will come in useful for this three hour trip.

Time: 9am
Venue: Venus Drive carpark located near the junction of Upper Thomson Road and Venus Drive.
Website: http://www.nss.org.sg
Contact: email contact@nss.org.sg or call 6741 2036.

11 Sep (Sat): All about edible plants - a tour for kids

Learn where healthy, yummy fruits and vegetables come from! Be amazed by the many different types of fruits and vegetables that we have in Jacob Ballas Children's Garden! Give your eyes a visual treat! Join us to learn interesting and amazing fruit and veggie facts.

Suitable for children in K1 - P6 levels.

For enquiry and registration, please contact the Education at 64719961 or nparks_sbg_edu@nparks.gov.sg . Online registration is available on www.sbg.org.sg (under "Education")

Time: 10-11am
Cost: $6 per child and $6 per accompanying parent
Venue: Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, Bukit Timah Core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Website and contact: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

11 Sep (Sat): Wallace Education Centre Gallery walk

Learn more about our forests, from the 18th century until today and find out how you can play a part in biodiversity conservation.
This guided walk is held every second Saturday of the month.

More details about the Wallace Education Centre on the NParks website.

Please call 3 days in advance at 65545127 to register for the walk.

Time: 9.30-10.30am
Venue: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Wallace Education Centre
Website and contact: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

11 Sep (Sat): Trees of the Fort

Embark on this adventure and discover the secret lives of our heritage trees and more!
Our nature-loving guides from The Green Volunteers will walk you through this public park that has undergone a series of historical transformation through the centuries. Although much of the original vegetation has disappeared due to these changes, active greening efforts have converted this once formidable fort into an idyllic respite from the hustle and bustle of city life amidst lush and magnificent trees. Meet the Towering Kapok, Flaky Gelam, Gnarled Madras Thorn and many more.

Learn how plants and animals have co-existed and to a certain extent become co-dependant on one another for survival. Immerse yourself in the sounds of nature orchestrated by chirping birds and shrilling cicadas as you walk along the trail.

In a vastly developed urban jungle, Fort Canning offers that unique pocket of biodiversity to appreciate the greenery within our vibrant city.

This is a free public outreach programme in the park, held every second Saturday.

Time: 4-6 pm
Venue: Meet at courtyard, opposite NParks Visitor Centre, Fort Canning Centre
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: 6332 1200 or lee_weiling@nparks.gov.sg or or visit thegreenvolunteers.blogspot.com

11 Sep (Sat): Forest walk at the Botanic Gardens Rainforest Trail

A free guided nature walk through a rainforest right in the heart of the city! Along paved trails, under the shade of giant trees, learn about our rainforests, spot forest creatures and strange plants.

Suitable for young children.

More about the Botanic Gardens Rainforest Trail on the wildsingapore website. This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NPark's Singapore Botanic Gardens and is held every second Saturday of the month.

A special Mandarin version of this tour is at 4pm.

Time: 9am, 10am, 11am (Enligsh) and 4pm (Mandarin); Register 15 minutes before the tour at the Visitor Centre.
Tour duration: One hour.
Website: http://www.sbg.org.sg/
Contact: Visitor Services, 64717361 or NPARKS_SBG_Visitor_Services@NPARKS.GOV.SG

11 Sep (Sat): Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh

Free guided nature walk along the Mangrove boardwalk under shady mangrove trees. Spot mudskippers, crabs and other marine life, learn about our mangroves, enjoy views of the Johor straits.

Suitable for young children.

Registration is not required for small walk-in groups. But each walk is limited to 15 persons per guide and is on a first-come -first-served basis. The walks are weather permitting and may merge with other activities at the Reserve. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.

More about the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the wildsingapore website and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve website. This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NParks' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and is held every Saturday.

Time: 9.30am and 3.30pm for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre.
Tour duration: One to one-and-a-half hours. Suitable for young children.
Entry charges: While the walk is free, admission fees to the Reserve apply: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

10 Sep (Fri): Istana Open House for Hari Raya

The Istana grounds are open to the public in celebration of Hari Raya. View the Istana gardens while a variety of performances on the grounds provide entertainment. You may also have the chance to have your photos taken with the President and First Lady when they come by to greet visitors.

Bands from Zhonghua Secondary and Deyi Secondary will perform at the Open House.

There will also be a Malay dance performance put up by People's Association talents.

Visitors can also get their faces painted by make-up artists from Cosmoprof Academy.

Admission is free for Singaporeans and Singapore permanent residents. Other visitors must pay a $1 fee each. Entrance to the grounds will be via the main gate on Orchard Road.

Selected function rooms with displays of gifts presented to the President and Prime Minister by foreign dignitaries can be viewed for a fee of $2.

All proceeds from entrance fees and the sale of Istana souvenirs will be donated to charity.

Time: 8.30am - 6pm
Venue: Entrance to the grounds is via the main gate at Orchard Road.
Charges: Admission to the Istana grounds is free for Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents. Others, including foreign visitors, are required to pay an entrance fee of $1 per person.
Website: http://www.istana.gov.sg/

9 Sep (Thu): "Creatures in Nature" Drama workshop for kids

Frieda Frog is Hopping about Forgiveness

Discover nature and its creatures through story, dramatization and the use of props in this drama series! Centered on nature and creatures whose habitat are gardens and rainforests, each workshop will feature a creature and a character building value to educate children to emulate the good value in their lives.

For enquiry and registration, please contact the Education at 64719961 or nparks_sbg_edu@nparks.gov.sg. Online registration is available on www.sbg.org.sg (under "Education")

Suitable for children in K1 - P6 levels

Time: 10-11am
Cost: $10 per child
Venue: Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, Bukit Timah Core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/