Community Herb Garden (社区芳草园) – A Little Singapore Butterfly Hideout

Nestled just after the gate leading into the Nanyang Technological University, is a little herb garden tended to by Mr Ng and a few helpers.  Previously overlooked, the site was suggested by Gandalf after he spotted and photographed several Green Barons flying around the small garden patch.

Some of these small paths lead to huge clusterings of butterflies feeding on ripe fruit and flowers

Normally, I would not write much about the locations I visit in Singapore.  Usually, because these locations are already well documented within the community and other times, it’s because they usually need no introduction.  However, on this special occasion, after visiting the herb garden, I was touched by Mr Ng’s dreams of hoping to set up a butterfly garden one day and hopes of more people coming by to share with him ideas of how to do so.

Euthalia adonia pinwilli female

What was remarkable about this site was that there was a lot of activity centred in a very small patch of garden.  The garden is little more than the size of a few carparks with many butterflies hanging around at the strangest nooks and crannies.  The garden typically sees more activities during Buddhist festivals where many Buddhists gather at the garden for the observance of rites.

Euthalia adonia pinwilli – female Green Baron

Mr Ng is always very hospitable and ready to offer a stranger a drink.

Euthalia adonia pinwilli – male

While we were there, he pointed to us leaves which when boiled can help to get rid of coughs, and some fruits which can be eaten raw to help with backache.

Euthalia adonia pinwilli – male Green Baron

I was amazed by the number of Green Barons at the site.  There were several males and several females, more than the number I’d seen altogether in the past five years.  We attempted to locate the hostplant but didn’t manage to find it.

butterfly cluster

butterfly cluster

On top of that, there were also other not so commonly found species such as the Dark Veined Tiger and the Malay Staff Sergeant below:

Athyma reta moorei – Malay Staff Sergeant

Danaus melanippus hegesippus – Dark Veined Tiger

Besides these. there were the more common species such as the Leopard:

Phalantha phalantha phalantha – leopard

We also have the good fortune of seeing a Painted Jezebel lay eggs on a parasitic plant:

Delias hyparete metarete – Painted Jezebel laying eggs

Delias hyparete metarete – Painted Jezebel eggs

There were also a good number of bees and wasps available.  I’ve included a photo of some of them and the fruit that is said to cure backache:

cure for backache

these three have backaches perhaps

To top off even all of that, is a photograph of the not so commonly encountered (at least not for me) golden immature male of the Camacinia gigantea dragonfly, one of Singapore’s larger dragonflies:

If you want to visit, here’s a location map:

location of community herb garden

I hope you get to visit soon. 🙂