Easyparadise - Nature Photos by Mingfei

Summer of 2009: Mengding 3

2010-02-24T16:41:00.000+01:00

Dai people live in warm and wet areas. The climate contributes a lot not only to their wealthy lives, but also to the good environment around their villages. Dai people love nature very much. In old times they live in bamboo houses. Although now they build with bricks and cement, every family still own a yard with their houses. In the yard the plant all kinds of fruits, beans, melons, flowers and trees. Amount the plants fly all kind of butterflies and bees. How I wish I had such a garden!

Now let's see what Dai people have in their garden?

Summer of 2009: Mengding 2

2010-02-19T04:51:00.000+01:00

Dongjing Mian Temple is the biggest temple in Mengding. Unlike Guangyun Mian Temple, Dongjing is totally a Dai-styled temple without any Han characteristic. So you won't find gold dragons or stone lions.

On the top of the mountain locates a beautiful white tower.

Then we went to a village to visit some of my uncle's old friends. Now it's the harvest time. You can see dozens of garlic and heaped-up corns. Mengding is a perfect field, warm and moist, to grow all kinds of crops. Every people here enjoy their simple but plenty lives.

People in another village had built their new houses, but they still keep some old elements. Those people might hang these strange objects on the string near the gate to ward off evil.

Typical Day-styled dressing. People usually put the knife that used to carve rubber trees in the small basket.

Another temple in the village. There are at least one temple in almost every village in Mengding.

Summer of 2009: Mengding 1

2010-02-06T15:54:00.000+01:00

Mengding（Here）is an small but important village between China and Myanmar. It is 130km away from Cangyuan. My uncle has worked there for ten years when he was young. So we decided to go there to visit some of his old friends.

Sculpture of three Wa people.

The road was constructed alone the Nangun River, and lot of waterfalls was falling from the mountains in rainy season.

A Dai-styled welcome gate. In Mengding lives a lot of Dai people.

Qingshuihe is an external opening port of national first class.

a landmark

The border river between China（left side） and Burma（right side）.

Rubber trees is one the most important properties of local people. However, huge amount of tropical forest was destroied to develop the rubber farming.

So it is lucky and rare to see such big beautiful trees.

It's out!

2010-02-06T14:56:00.000+01:00

The cocoon I posted in the last post has died in an accident. However, there was another one hidden in the branches and leaves in the box I used to feed the caterpillars. This one was not emerged until Dec 11 morning. Cool!

Papilio machaon

Caterpillars of Swallowtail

2009-11-10T13:21:00.001+01:00

Just now I visited Wind Walker’s blog and found that she has posted something about two lovely caterpillars of swallowtails that she is feeding. This remind of me of my caterpillars. I have found a lot of caterpillars of Papilio machaon, a similar species with Wind Walker’s, on carrot leaves. I tried to feed them but most of them died or escaped from the box. Only one transformed into a cocoon. Here are some photos.

When I first found this charming creature it was crawling on the ground so I didn’t know what its host plant is. I took a cabbage leaf nearby for granted. But the worm refused to eat.

In the following days I found more caterpillars on carrots. This one is preparing for becoming a cocoon. But it failed at last.

This is the only one that finished the transformation successfully on Oct 19. The cocoon is green at the begining moment.

Three days later, the cocoon turned grey. The most horrible thing for a caterpillar is that the worm had been parasitized by some kind of tiny wasp, which lay eggs inside a caterpillar’s body. Larvae of the wasp will grow up inside the caterpillar. When they kill the caterpillar and eat up all its organs, they emerge to wasps and fly out, leaving an empty skin hanging on a branch. Fortunately, this one looks very healthy. It probably will emerge in spring. Hoping for the brilliant moment!

Summer of 2009: Wa People’s Village

2009-11-09T15:54:00.000+01:00

Wengding is one of the reserved typical Wa-styled village. These thatched cottages are homes to Wa people living in mountains.

People work and keep livestocks on the ground while sleep on the second floor in case of beasts.

The big hall belongs to the chief of the village.

A kind old man was cooking local tea to visitors. But I was unused to strong and bitter tea.

Water buffalo is the symbol of Wa Culture. You can see skulls of buffalos everywhere in the village.

An old jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus) over 300 years!

a Solanaceae family plant

Summer of 2009: The Tiankeng And Rock Painting

2009-11-08T12:29:00.000+01:00

One thing that makes the Wa Nationality culture famous is the rock painting discoverd in 1965. More than 3,000 years’ history makes it one of the most historical rock paintings of China.

A Wa-styled village. The art works are hidden in the cliff mountains behind it.

At the top of the mountain, there is a huge Tiankeng. Tiankeng refers to an extremely large and deep hole that only can be formed in karstis area when certain contiditions are satisfied. The word “Tiankeng” is actually from Chinese because the spectacles were firstly and intensively found in China.

Humans are hard to reach Tiankeng, so it is a relatively closed environment. A lot of unique and precious species are being saved in it. The trees in the picture are Caryota urens L.

Unknown plant on the mountain

Fungi on a old tree. Looks like something edible.

At last we found the painted rock in the jungle. Actually most paintings are difficult to identify. This one has been repainted. The paintings are about ancient Wa people’s daily life, e.g. grazing, war, hunting etc.

A restless butterfly (Zemeros flegyas)

Summer of 2009: the Guangyun Mian Temple

2009-11-07T13:20:00.000+01:00

Guangyun Mian Temple, locates north of Cangyuan, is more than 170 years old. It is one of the most influential Theravada Buddhist places in southeast of China. The temple is a mixture of Dai style temple with Han architectural building. You can see beautiful wood engraved works in the window pane, and the murals inside are famous. We visited there the second day morning. That few people was there because of the remoteness contributes to the peacefulness…

The east side of the temple. The yard is too small to step back for a integral shot of the building.

One of the huge gloden dragons on the pillar.

The temple is amoung the list of “Key Cultural Relics Under State Protection”

The frangipani(Plumeria rubra) were flowering in the yard peacefully.

A cute cat in the yard

Summer of 2009: Twilight of Cangyuan

2009-11-04T07:22:00.000+01:00

We arrived Cangyuan, a county located in southeast of Yunnan Province between China and Burma (location), late. It is famous for its Wa Nationality culture.

We intended to stay overnight in the resort (the village in the middle of picture), where my father had lived in last time he came here, but it is no longer operating.

If you turn around there was a peaceful reservoir because I took these two photos on a dam.

A Gift For My Girlfriend

2009-11-02T03:30:00.000+01:00

This is the gift for my girlfriend’s 20th birthday. I collected these butterflies carefully during my summer holiday in remote Yunnan. Then we ordered a frame and collected some plant material. Last night when the first snow of 2009 was falling outside, we finished the mounting in a classroom. Here it is!

The species are: Euploea mulciber (the smaller blue and black one); Byasa polyeuctes (the black swallowtail); Thauria lathyi (the black and yellow one); Idea leuconoe (the white spotted one)

Summer of 2009: Rainforest 5

2009-10-31T15:40:00.000+01:00

Today let me show you some non-insect creatures that I have recorded in the rain forest. These will be the last post of rain forest series.

after a heavy but short rain, a cute small lizard came out.

It was abnormal that Amphibian was very rare in tropical jungle in rainy season. This was the only toad we found in the night.

an ugly snail

huge spiders the size of a palm are everywhere in the jungle.

We intended collecting beetles and other odd things under bright lights but received disappointment. What was also disappointed like us was the spider waiting there.

Achatina fulica, the giant snail originally from East Africa, is widely distributed all around world’s tropical area and has become one of the most harmful invading species.

Summer of 2009: Rainforest 4

2009-10-31T13:51:00.000+01:00

Today I gonna show you the other insects I shot in the forest.

A colorful leaf beetle. 1cm

This is the largest “tortoise beetle” (Chinese name of insects of Cassididae) I’ve ever seen. I love its crystal elytron with metallic gold pattern shining in the sunshine.

A gray young mantis on a gray rock. I would have missed it if my friend did’t pointed it to me.

A big flying cockroach finally stopped on defoliation.

This is the only walking stick insect species we found there, yet the quality is quite large in August.

A beautiful moth’s dream was interrupted by us.

To be continued

Summer of 2009: Rainforest 3

2009-10-30T15:49:00.000+01:00

More insects of Orthoptera and Homoptera. These vegetarians are easily found in bushes and big trees.

A common and odd-looking grasshopper in tropical forest, Erianthus dohrni Bolivar

This one missed a leg, nevertheless, it is good at flying. It’s the same species with the above one but in different color.

common locust in the forest

another species in the bush

How marvelous the froghopper is! The nymph make a lot of foam, like saliva spitted by someone at plant, and hide itself in it for protection.

Saiva gemmata (Westwood,1848). I’ve never seen this kind of insect before, which is often called “chicken” in China. I don’t know why.

a big one of Ricaniidae

To be continued

Summer of 2009: Rainforest 2

2009-10-28T05:53:00.000+01:00

A lot of insects live in tropical rainforest. But we didn’t find too much as we expected. Maybe it was not the right season. However, it was the right season for all kinds of butterflies, which attracted us most, in the begin of August.

Butterflies gather together, drink a lot of water and drain it to cool their bodies in hot days.

Thauria Lathyi

Stibochiona nicea

Loxura atymnus

Cyrestis sp.

This funny skipper butterfly kept sucking the liquid drained from itself. Then it drained and sucked again and again. I infer it’s a simple way to quickly make the skipper cool without much effort to find enough water source in hot day.

To be continued

Summer of 2009: Rainforest 1

2009-10-27T15:14:00.000+01:00

This summer I went my home: Yunnan Province, China. Yunnan is famous for its diversity of terrain, climate, ecosystem and life. During the holiday I visited some places in south and southwest of the province, where more creatures could be found. The very fisrt place I want to show you is the rainforest of the Green Water River near Manhao (Find out the location here). We have stayed there for only one day because there are no place to live. A few days later I retured with my parents again. My time is so limited today and more pictures will be posted in the following days.

The overview of the rainforest

odd tropical floras

fungi at the bottom of the forest

the fruits of some kind of fan palm

To be continued

Dragonfly Emerged 3

2009-10-25T16:35:00.001+01:00

Dear friends, I’m back. I know you have waited me for long time. Soooooo sorry for that and thanks for your visiting again! Actually I still cannot load Blogger here in usual way. Now I’m here through GappProxy.

Anotogaster kuchenbeiseri is the largest dragonfly in Beijing. It’s the third and the last dragonfly species that I fed this year. They have all emerged in May and June when the network is unavailable. Now here are some records.

The full-grown naiad of Anotogaster kuchenbeiseri. I got eight of this in the Botanical Garden on April, 25.

Left：Male Right：Female

The naiads live in the mud under the stream, hunting all kinds of aquatic creatures by the “mask”, as it were, the forelegs of a mantis.

Six left one month later. The first male emerged in the morning of May, 27.

How to identify a dragonfly of Cordulegastridae Family? Their two eyes connect at one point.

Feeding tips: A relatively capacious space is necessary. Keep the environment dark and keep the water clean. Do not fill with too much water. Be careful about the temperature in hot summer. Warm water may lead to oxygen deficiency. And don't forget to put some rocks and branches for emerging.

Before its first flying, draining surplus water can lighten its weight.

Left：Male Right：Female

The eyes will turn to green a few days later.

Blogger is Blocked in China

2009-05-25T17:20:00.000+02:00

My friends, you may have not seen me for days and I missed you so much. But I have to tell you helplessly that I cannot visit my site and other Blogger blogs these days. The Blogger was blocked by the GFW again!!!!! I don't know how long this will going to last!!!

You can click here to know more about what is GFW!!!!! Something really stupid that only can be created by CHINESE GOVERNMENT!!!!!

It's quite difficult for me to sign in and post via different ways. I'm so sorry about this but I can do nothing...

Dragonfly Emerged 2

2009-05-14T16:33:00.001+02:00

This has been posted in this and this post. It finally emerged in the morning of 5.11

My roomate told me that it had emerged when I woke up in the morning.

I didn’t go to bed until 1:30 for my homework. I was so tired that I fell asleep soon then missed the process.

This is Aeschnophlebia longistigma Selys, 1883

There are two special spots on its eyes

Unfortunately, it missed one leg during the eclosion

There is another nymph of this species in the water. I will try to capture the whole process of it next time.

Dragonfly Emerged

2009-04-30T21:03:00.000+02:00

Remember this? It was captured on April 4 in Shangzhuang Reservoir. At first I thought it is Anax nigrofasciatus

Yesterday I found it turned green. It’s time to emerge.

About eleven in the evening, it climbed on to the branch from water. In the following hours it writhed tail frequently, climbed up and down.

After warming up, at 2:50, the eclosion started.

Have a rest. The picture on the screen is another post about the growth by slmok

Suddenly it did a sit-up, catching its old skin and whipped out abdomen quickly, then spread wings slowly.

In the morning. The eclosion was successful. Now it turned out that this is a male Anax parthenope, I was wrong at first. In my childhood, I ofter tied a female one of this species on a string to entrap male ones.

I put it in the sun to warm its body and it flew away at last.

Feast

2009-04-29T05:21:00.000+02:00

Place: Beijing Botanical Garden
Date: 4/25/2009

My Aquarium 3: Fish

2009-04-27T16:53:00.000+02:00

Here are some local species in Beijing. I got them in March and April when searching aquatic insects. Unfortunately, I know little about fish,

A big fighting fish, about 6cm. Macropodus ocellatus is the only fighting fish species in Beijing. Place: Greenlake Wetland

And this is the smallest one, less than 2cm. Place: Greenlake Wetland

A golden loach (4cm) Place: Greenlake Wetland & Shangzhuang Reservoir

another bigger loach (6cm). Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

Unknown species, 5cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

Unknown fish, maybe it’s just a common carp, 2cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

A small goby, 2cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

A big one. It should be another species differ from the above one Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

The big goby, 6cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

Another goby species (2cm) Place: Beijing Botanical Garden

Frogs & Tadpoles in Botanical Garden

2009-04-26T14:39:00.000+02:00

There is a stream and several ponds in the Botanical Garden. So I went there three times for aqutaic insects. Of course, I can always find different frogs and their offsprings during the exploring.

In March, a lot of eggs could be found in the stream.

I took some to my dormitory and they grow very fast. You can find tadlopes swimming after one week.

Eggs of a toad, quite different from frog’s.

One month later, masses of tadpoles appear in ponds. Every child in the garden was holding nets and cans to catch some.

I also took some to feed my dragonflies.

Toad’s tadlopes are black and abundant while frog’s are gray and only can be found in running streams.

It’s time to…

a frog found in stream

I’m not sure if it is the same species with the above one

A young toad

They hide under the stones in the stream, so you have to turn oven stones to find them

Am I beautiful ?

Tulips in Garden

2009-04-25T18:37:00.001+02:00

I am terribly sorry that I posted nothing last week. I have a lot to share but somehow I was lazy these days…not lazy when I hold a camera. I keep taking photos in this flourishing spring. Then countless photos stuff in my hard disk, most are spam. Sometimes I don’t know what to do with them and I have no time to sort one by one. This is really a trouble in Digital Age.

Today’s sunshine made me rush to the Botanical Garden recklessly again, though I have just visited it last week. I was intending the nymphs of Cordulegasteridae. Meanwhile, the beautiful tulips are blooming! Wonderful scene!

Camera: SONY DSC-H1 (my friend’s)

My Blog Award & My Nominations

2009-04-19T14:55:00.000+02:00

THIS IS THE FIRST BLOG AWARD I GOT :)

It was awarded by Nishant Nischal. I am so surprised to get this and please allow me to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Moreover, I would say thank you to all people who visit my blog, follow my blog and leave their comments! I tried to start this English blog in Dec. 2008 to practice my English and sharing my photos, but I know nobody in this English blogging world at first. Easyparadise might have been devastated for a long time but for your supports. Now blogging has become a part of my life, I have learned a lot from it and made plenty of friends all over the world. Please continue supporting me, I will show you more! Nishant, I love your photos and your country so much. Thanks for sharing them! I’m hoping more of your masterpiece! BTW, I love the little mouse in your blog and I also have put one in my space, LOL.

Nishant’s link: http://nishantnischal.blogspot.com/

NOW HERE ARE THE RULES........

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog. 2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you ( Not necessary, only if you want. ) 3) Nominate at least 5 other blogs ( Only if you want.) 4) Add links to those blogs on your blog. 5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog to come and pick their award from your blog.

AND HERE ARE MY NOMINATIONS..............

This is really a hard work because there are so many marvelous blogs I love. However, I have to make choices. The following sites are the best in my eyes.

1.) South African Photographs http://saphotographs.blogspot.com/

A blog shows the fantastic South Africa. Lots of pictures of all kinds of creatures and plants can be find there. Joan, the blogger, is a very kind and helpful lady who has encouraged me a lot.

2.) Beetles In The Bush http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/

This is an excellent blog of insects. The author, Ted C. MacRae, is an entomologist in Missouri. Maybe his blog is a little professional (maybe I feel that because my poor English) but full of information.

3.)A Bug's Eye View http://macromeditations.com/

I really really love those macro dragonfly pics!!!

4.)Butterflies of Singapore http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/

I enjoy this one very much! It’s a place to introduce butterflies of Singapore, full of information and the pictures are prefect!

5.)Wild Light http://www.bugdreams.com/

Another blog shows the beauty of nature. I especially enjoy those snaps of tussling birds in the air!

6.)Birders Of Sabah Borneo Island http://horukuru.blogspot.com/

All kinds of bird from Borneo is showing. I love Borneo, I love rain forest!

7.)Sebastián Molano. Fotografía de Naturaleza http://chanjaime.blogspot.com/

It’s not an English blog so I can’t read it. But I do enjoy the bird photos in it.

Still Life 1: Lily Flower

2009-04-16T16:53:00.000+02:00

This yellow lily flower is used for our botany experiment last term. Because we were the last class of the experiment, so I took one of the rest flowers to my dormitory, posed and shot.

Can you guess what the black background was? Haha, that’s a pair of my black pants!