Nature's Umbrellas

On my way out a few weeks ago, I spotted these growing on someone’s front lawn. I'm not sure if they're edible but a wrong guess could be fatal. They were white with a few brown spots on the top side. Unfortunately, I 'm unable to find any information on the fungi in the photos shown here.




I couldn’t resist taking more pictures of them. The front yard was teaming with life, going steady and continuous. It reminds me a lot of the Smurf mushroom village.



on a closer inspection, I must admit, I found its soft leathery texture to be quite amazing.



the close up of the underside of the mushroom!


Macro Monday

That's My World

RT/WW - Green Penang

I love to spend my weekends here getting some cool fresh air, especially when I’m walking through one of my favorite walking trails. There is a fascinating trail at Penang Youth Park and as can be seen here, how green everything is. The trail is wide enough for walkers, joggers, bikers and roller bladers.

The beautiful park is besieged with large shady trees that provides great shades from the hot humid weather and the sweltering sun. It felt fabulous walking under those trees as I absolutely love the lush greenery in its natural setting. I could just sit here or even walk around for hours.

That said, any time of the day is actually great for a slow and steady stroll. However, the best time to visit will be in the morning though as it will be cooler. Not surprisingly, there are numerous people performing their routine exercises in the wee hours of the morning. While many in the world are still fast asleep, I love getting up at the crack of dawn and taking my kids for a walk. Everything smells so refreshing indeed.

Children are not left out as there is a huge playground for kids to enjoy their time.
With the free admission, what more could you ask for?

Since this is my first entry for 2010, best wishes for a Happy New Year to all of you.

I hope everyone has been doing really fantastic and I appreciate all your wonderful comments in my previous post.




First Commenter - Leora

Today's Flowers - Cat's Whiskers Plant

This is my first participation in Today's Flowers.

While walking on a trail near my house yesterday evening, one of the plants that literally caught my attention was the cat's whiskers with its elongated white flowers. As the name implies, the flower truly resembles the shape of a cat's whiskers and it is also known as Misai Kucing in malay. The scientific name is Orthosiphon aristatus and the plants are found mainly in South East Asia and tropical Australia.

This is a herbal remedy in the mint family which is often used for making Java tea. It is claimed to have anti-inflammatory and magical healing properties and is commonly used to cure ailments of the kidney, bladder stone, hypertension, urinary tract infection, liver and other related disorders. The herbs are also useful in the treatment of diabetes, rheumatism, gout and managing cholestrol levels.

Fresh or dried leaves can be used for making tea. Has anyone heard about it or tried this before? I'm a tea drinker and one of these days I'll need to experiment making tea out of the leaves.


This extraordinary plant is easily propagated by the cut stem. It attracts butterflies and it also provides plenty of nectar for bees and hummingbirds.

First Commenter - Jama

Wordless Wednesday - Dragon fruit buds

First Commenter

Wordless Wednesday - Dragonfly

a buzzing dragonfly probing the flower in our garden

First Commenter

Wordless Wednesday - Butterfly

Are butterflies considered good luck?

It seems of late that whenever I'm outside, I come across butterflies in our back yard. I think they are fascinating to admire and love seeing them around. It certainly uplift my spirit when I see them fluttering around in the flowers. I was quick enough with my camera and manage to snap the wonderful creature perching in between leaves. Butterflies and moths are such delicate and remarkable creatures that reminds me of the fragile moments of this world.


First commenter - kenwooi