The World of Animals

Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn. - T. H. White

Knowledge is the key to a high path. Knowledge is that which brings calmness and peace to life, which renders man indifferent to the storms of the phenomenal world. - Unknown

A peek into the world of animals. I think it is good that we learn something about the animals that share our wonder-ful world.

Here are some fun facts and trivia about animals, courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Colours of Nature’, ‘Ancestral Stories’, ‘Weird Facts’, ‘Unbelievable Facts’, ‘Today I Learned’, ‘Science and Facts’, ‘Crazy Creatures’, ‘The Knowledge Factory’, ‘The Study Secrets’ etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

Some hay piles can weigh over a dozen pounds. Pikas carefully choose plants that dry and store well, often building backup caches in case weather or thieves strike.

Snow then insulates their rocky homes, turning summer work into winter survival. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

The rock hyrax is small, round, and easy to underestimate. At first glance, many people think it’s a rodent, but in truth, it’s a unique mammal more closely related to elephants and manatees. Its surprising evolutionary links show how even tiny animals can have big connections in nature.

Also known as dassies, hyraxes are stout, herbivorous creatures that thrive in rocky terrains across Africa and the Middle East. Their specialized rubbery footpads allow them to climb steep surfaces with agility, while social groups keep watch for predators. One warning call sends the entire colony darting into cracks and crevices, disappearing almost like magic.

Hyraxes also have continuously growing incisors, structured similarly to elephant tusks, used for foraging and defense. Despite their small size, these clever climbers are perfectly adapted to survive in harsh environments, blending teamwork, alertness, and unique anatomy into a life perfectly suited to rocky. – A Facebook post by Patrick Barnes

Her blind cubs wait for weeks underground while she ranges across savanna and scrub, relying on memory and scent to return without error.

Venom resistance helps, but it is precision and persistence that turn survival into certainty. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

The Golden Takin, a real-life mythical beast, roams the misty mountains of central China . Draped in thick golden fur, this goat-antelope is built for survival in high-altitude forests, where freezing temperatures and rugged cliffs demand resilience and strength. Its muscular frame and striking, almost otherworldly face give it a presence that seems pulled straight from legend.

These remarkable creatures travel in herds, gracefully navigating steep slopes while foraging on leaves, bamboo, and shrubs. Scientists studying high-altitude ungulates note that the Takin’s thick coat, strong legs, and social herding behavior are perfect adaptations for cold, slippery terrain, helping them avoid predators and conserve energy in harsh environments.

Beyond biology, the Golden Takin holds a place in cultural imagination, often associated with ancient Chinese myths and guardian beast legends. In both science and story, it embodies the awe-inspiring intersection of nature’s design and human imagination. – A Facebook post by Patrick Barnes

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Discovery in Science

"A few drops of science will often disinfect an entire barrel full of ignorance and prejudice" - Hendrik Willem van Loon

Interesting developments on the Science front – courtesy of Facebook pages, ‘Weird Facts’, ‘Unbelievable Facts’, ‘Today I Learned’, ‘Science and Facts’, ‘The Knowledge Factory’, ‘The Study Secrets’ etc… Although trials, experiments and studies show promise, I guess it will be some time yet before they are a reality.

Your Brain May Be Connected To The Cosmos Itself

Scientists proposed a startling idea that blurs the line between the human mind and the universe. New research suggests there may be a possible connection between the human brain and the cosmos operating at a quantum scale. While still theoretical, the findings point to similarities between quantum processes in brain activity and the fundamental structures that govern the universe itself.

Researchers studying neural microstructures discovered patterns that resemble quantum behaviours seen in space and subatomic particles. These patterns hint that the brain may not function purely as a biological machine, but also as a system influenced by quantum physics. Instead of thoughts being only electrical signals, they may involve deeper processes that reflect the same laws shaping stars, galaxies, and spacetime.

For decades, consciousness was viewed as an isolated product of neurons firing. This emerging perspective challenges that assumption. If the brain interacts with reality at a quantum level, it could help explain mysteries such as consciousness, intuition, creativity, and even why human awareness feels so deeply connected to the universe. It may also reshape how we understand memory, perception, and the nature of thought itself.

The real life implications are profound. This research could inspire new approaches to brain health, artificial intelligence, and neurological disorders. By understanding how the brain mirrors cosmic systems, scientists may unlock more advanced technologies that work in harmony with natural laws instead of against them.

As science continues to explore the smallest and largest scales of existence, one idea becomes increasingly powerful. We may not simply observe the universe. We may be deeply woven into it. This discovery invites us to imagine a future where understanding the cosmos also means understanding ourselves. – A Facebook post by ‘Discover The Universe’

Scientists have identified an entirely new organ in the human body, named the interstitium, revealing a hidden layer that may play a vital role in health and disease. This discovery changes how we understand human anatomy and opens new possibilities for medical research.

The interstitium is a network of fluid-filled spaces that exist between tissues and organs, acting as a shock absorber and potentially aiding in the transport of fluids throughout the body. It may also play a role in the spread of diseases, including cancer, as fluids and cells move through its channels.

Advanced imaging technology, including laser microscopy and digital mapping, allowed researchers to visualize this organ in unprecedented detail without disturbing surrounding tissues. By studying the interstitium, scientists can explore its connection to inflammation, organ function, and disease progression, offering potential targets for future treatments.

This discovery highlights the importance of innovation in science and medicine. It reminds us that even in the human body—something we study extensively—there are still hidden systems waiting to be understood.

Sometimes, uncovering what has been overlooked can transform our knowledge of life itself. The interstitium may be small, but its impact on medicine and biology could be enormous. – A Facebook post

Type 1 diabetes begins when the immune system mistakenly targets the pancreas, specifically the insulin-producing beta cells. Normally, after a meal, glucose enters the bloodstream, triggering beta cells to release insulin. Insulin binds to receptors on body cells, activating glucose transporters that allow sugar to enter cells and provide energy. This process keeps blood sugar levels balanced and fuels the body efficiently.

In Type 1 diabetes, this balance is disrupted. As immune cells destroy beta cells, insulin production rapidly declines. Without insulin, glucose cannot enter the cells and starts accumulating in the bloodstream. Despite high blood sugar, body cells are starved of energy, which is why fatigue, weakness, and weight loss are common early symptoms. The inability to regulate blood sugar leads to persistent hyperglycemia, which can affect organs and overall health if untreated.

Managing Type 1 diabetes requires external insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. With proper monitoring, insulin therapy, and lifestyle adjustments, individuals can maintain energy, prevent complications, and live healthy lives. Understanding how beta cell destruction impacts glucose metabolism highlights the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Knowledge of the disease empowers patients and caregivers to take control of daily blood sugar management and long-term health outcomes. – A Facebook post

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Cineraria Plant

Cineraria is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family. It’s botanical name is Senecio cruentus. They are sometimes known as the 'bugs plant' because they are highly susceptible to infestation by insects, particularly aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites. Cineraria grows best in partial shade, and should be planted in rich, moist soil that drains well. They are usually grown for spring decoration, and often discarded after flowering.

Cineraria's are excellent houseplants. Their daisy-like blooms come in a rainbow of brilliant colours. Their bright and lovely blooms add a dash of colour to, and liven up the place – wherever they are found.

Apparently, wild Cinerarias are also medicinal plants. They are touted as nature's pharmacy in your backyard, used by traditional Chinese medicine to treat various conditions including inflammation and clearing up skin issues.

I captured these on one of my visits to the Flower Dome.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Humorous Quips

There will always be ups and downs in life. That is why we need a sense of humour. A sense of humour helps us see the lighter side of things, and help us keep light-hearted. It helps us to enjoy life even when we do not have everything, when things do not happen the way we expected them to. In fact, it is when things do not go our way that we need our humour most.

I hope the following quips put a smile on your face. Some of them have a lot of truth.

May your days be filled with laughter.

Image created on Canva

I often wonder who Pete is and why we do things for his sake… - Unknown

Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses. - Unknown

A man’s face is his autobiography. A woman’s face is her work of fiction. - Oscar Wilde

My mind is not a bed to be made and remade. - James Agate

What is more humiliating than finding the object of your love unworthy? - Jeanette Winterson

Most women are not so young as they are painted. - Max Beerbohm

If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself. - Mickey Mantle

Well, well, well, if it isn’t the bridge I said I’d cross when I came to it.- Unknown

I stay up late every night and realize it’s a bad idea every morning. - Unknown

Children go through life with same tact as tornado. - Charlie Chan

A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. - Unknown

I grew intoxicated with my own eloquence. - Benjamin Disraeli

Image created on Canva

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Quantum Physics

What is Quantum Physics? Quantum physics, or quantum mechanics, is the fundamental scientific theory describing the behavior of nature at the smallest scales—atoms, electrons, and photons. It reveals that particles can behave like waves, be in multiple states at once (superposition), and that the universe is probabilistic, not strictly deterministic. 

Information are courtesy of Facebook pages - ‘Ancestral Stories’, ‘Weird Facts’, ‘Unbelievable Facts’, ‘Today I Learned’, ‘Science and Facts’, ‘The Knowledge Factory’, ‘The Study Secrets’ etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

For a long time, people have thought of luck as something mysterious and totally out of our hands. But ideas from quantum physics shake that up. They suggest that maybe what we call “luck” isn’t as random as we’ve always believed.

The key idea here is quantum probability. In classical physics, everything follows predictable rules. But in the quantum world, things get weird. Particles can exist in multiple states at once, and what actually happens can depend on observation, human intention, and interaction.

That means some of what we call lucky or unlucky might actually come down to how these tiny quantum events play out. When we focus our attention, make decisions, or act with clear intention, we might be nudging probabilities in certain directions. It doesn’t mean every dream instantly comes true, but it suggests luck might have more to do with awareness, preparation, and timing than pure chance.

Some research even hints that our expectations and mindset can shift probabilities – a version of what scientists call the observer effect. In plain terms, what we focus on might subtly influence what happens.... sometimes.

These ideas are still being explored, but they open up a fascinating way of thinking about the nature of our reality, including what it means to be human.

Maybe we’re not just passive players in the human experience, but on some level, likely collective, we shape many things in our reality by our shared beliefs. – A Facebook post by ‘Collective Evolution’

Scientists just saw matter form from quantum nothing. In a historic quantum discovery, physicists have witnessed "quantum twins" emerge from the vacuum, bridging the gap between virtual energy and physical reality. Physicists at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have achieved a monumental feat by capturing evidence of matter forming from the quantum vacuum. By analyzing millions of proton-proton collisions, the STAR Collaboration identified pairs of particles known as lambda hyperons and their antimatter counterparts.

These particles, which usually exhibit random orientations, were found to be perfectly spin-aligned when produced in close proximity. This alignment serves as a "quantum fingerprint," proving that the particles originated from entangled virtual quark-antiquark pairs that exist within the seemingly empty fluctuations of space.

This discovery marks the first time scientists have directly observed the transformation of virtual "nothingness" into tangible, detectable matter. When protons collide at near-light speeds, the resulting energy promotes virtual particles into reality, allowing researchers to trace their origins back to the quantum vacuum. The fact that these "quantum twins" maintain their spin alignment during the transition suggests a deep, surviving connection between the vacuum and the visible universe. This breakthrough offers a revolutionary window into how fundamental properties emerge and could eventually help solve the mystery of how quarks bind together to form the atoms that build our world. – A Facebook post by Hashem Al-Ghalli

What if death is not the end but just an illusion of perception. In recent years, quantum physics has begun challenging one of humanity’s most profound beliefs: that death is final. Leading physicists suggest that at the quantum level, consciousness may persist beyond the physical body. Unlike traditional views which see life as a strict beginning and ending, quantum theory implies that our awareness could exist in multiple states simultaneously, much like particles that occupy many possibilities before being observed. Experiments in quantum mechanics reveal phenomena such as entanglement, where particles remain connected across vast distances, hinting that the universe is far more interconnected than we ever imagined.

This idea is not just philosophical. It forces us to reconsider what it means to live and die. If consciousness operates on quantum principles, the traditional approach to understanding life and death may be incomplete. Future research could revolutionize medicine, mental health, and even our approach to grief. Imagine therapies that tap into the continuity of awareness or technologies that help preserve consciousness in new ways. While still speculative, these findings push the boundaries of science and spirituality, blending them into a vision of existence where endings are transformations rather than finalities.

The thought that death may be an illusion invites awe and curiosity. It challenges fear and opens a space for hope, suggesting that life may be a continuous journey through the universe rather than a fleeting moment. As science progresses, we might discover ways to connect more deeply with the cosmos and with each other, transcending the limits we once thought were absolute. The universe may be far more mysterious and beautiful than we can currently imagine. – A Facebook post

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Insects - Fun Facts

Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can – there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did. - Sarah Caldwell

Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it. - Samuel Johnson

Today, we take a peek into the world of insects. These are some interesting fun facts about insects – courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Colours of Nature’, ‘Ancestral Stories’, ‘Weird Facts’, ‘Unbelievable Facts’, ‘Today I Learned’, ‘Science and Facts’, ‘Crazy Creatures, ‘The Knowledge Factory’, ‘The Study Secrets’ etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

Some moths have wing patterns that look like the eyes or bodies of bigger animals such as snakes or owls. The markings can be round like big eyes or shaped like a face. When the moth rests, the patterns are often hidden or blended with the background. Different species use different colors and shapes to match their homes or to look frightening.

If a bird or other predator comes close, the moth can suddenly open its wings. The sudden flash of eye-like spots or shapes can surprise the predator. Some moths keep the patterns hidden until they are touched or grabbed, so the surprise is stronger. A startled bird may hesitate, flick away, or fly off, giving the moth a short moment to get away.

This trick helps the moth survive because it uses appearance and sudden movement rather than speed or strength. Over time, moths with better markings were more likely to live and reproduce, so the trait stuck around. It is one of many ways insects protect themselves, along with hiding and flying fast. This simple trick shows how clever nature can be. – A Facebook post by ‘Colours of Nature’

Some people really do get bitten more. To a mosquito, your body is easier to read. But the real detail is this. Your blood type doesn’t stay hidden. It quietly shows up on your skin.

Mosquitoes track chemical signals your body releases through sweat and breath, and for many people, those signals carry traces of their blood type. Around 80 percent of humans naturally “broadcast” these markers without realizing it.

Type O tends to stand out more. In lab tests, mosquitoes consistently chose it over type A, often by a wide margin. Not because it’s tastier, but because it’s easier to detect. That choice happens before the bite.

Carbon dioxide pulls them in. Body heat guides them closer. Skin bacteria fine tune the final decision. By the time they land, the outcome was already tilted.

So when someone says mosquitoes love them, they’re not exaggerating. Their body is simply louder in a language we can’t hear. To a mosquito, that isn’t preference. It’s signal strength. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

You’re Looking at a Tiny Assassin. He’s got cartoon eyes. Pencil-thin arms. And a shyness that feels oddly human. But don’t fall for it. This is a damselfly — and he kills with precision.

Unlike most predators that rip or crush their prey, damselflies paralyze their victims and eat them face-first: Eyes. Mouth. Brain. Gone. All while the body is still twitching. It’s not random. It’s methodical.

Scientists have documented how damselflies snatch smaller insects midair, pin them down with their spiny legs like a cage, and start feeding while the prey is still alive — and watching. Some die in seconds. Others, in slow, agonizing minutes. And the damselfly? Never blinks. What looks like shyness… is just focus before violence. – A Facebook post by ‘Cronus’

Summer is coming, and sometimes survival looks like stillness. That “dead” bee on the ground may just be running on empty. But the part most people miss is how close it is to flying again.

A foraging bee burns energy at an extreme rate, beating its wings around 200 times per second while hauling nectar back to the hive. If it miscalculates distance or food, it can stall mid-journey and drop wherever it can land. At that point, it is not dying. It is empty.

Sugar water works because it mimics nectar, the exact fuel bees are built to process. A few drops can restore enough energy for its muscles to start again, and within minutes, many will groom themselves and lift off like nothing happened.

That single bee is part of a larger system, one worker among thousands keeping a colony alive through constant motion. You did not just help an insect. You restarted a role. Sometimes survival only needs a second chance, measured in drops. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

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Food / Health

Eat healthy, but enjoy the occasional indulgence and meals in the company of friends without scrutinizing ingredients or feeling guilty. - Darina Stoyanova

The benefits of consuming the following food/fruits. The information is taken from Facebook posts by ‘Food IQ’. 👉 HERE I do not know how true, or accurate they are. But I do know that consumed in moderation, they will not do you any harm.

Calcium is a "dumb" mineral; it doesn't know where to go and often ends up in your arteries (causing stiffness). Vitamin K1 (found massively in parsley) is converted by gut bacteria into K2, which activates a protein called Osteocalcin. This protein acts as the "glue" that grabs calcium from your blood and locks it into your bone matrix. Without this leafy "trigger," your calcium supplements might actually be harming your heart instead of helping your bones. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

Black pepper contains high concentrations of the terpene beta-caryophyllene. 2026 neuro-imaging shows that when this scent is inhaled, it stimulates the "reward" centers of the brain similarly to addictive substances, but without the spike and crash. It provides a "satiety signal" to the brain’s ventral striatum, effectively tricking your nervous system into thinking it already got its "hit" of sugar or nicotine, stopping a relapse in seconds. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

On the ORAC scale (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), ground cloves rank at the absolute top. This is due to the extreme concentration of Eugenol. While blueberries are famous for antioxidants, cloves are roughly 100 times more potent by weight. Adding just a tiny pinch (the size of a match head) to your coffee or oatmeal provides more DNA-protective power than an entire bowl of expensive "superfruits." – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

Known as the "sugar destroyer," Gymnema sylvestre contains molecules that are shaped exactly like glucose. They bind to the sweet receptors on your tongue, physically filling the "locks" so sugar molecules can't get in. For about 30 minutes, even the most delicious chocolate will taste like flavorless wax or sand. This isn't just a psychological trick; it's a biological lockout that makes it physically impossible to enjoy—and therefore binge on—sugar. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

Fenugreek contains a unique fiber called Galactomannan and an amino acid called 4-hydroxyisoleucine. When soaked, the fiber becomes a viscous gel that physically "traps" glucose molecules, preventing them from entering the bloodstream too quickly. Simultaneously, the amino acid stimulates the pancreas to release insulin only after blood sugar starts to rise, making your body's response to carbs hyper-efficient and preventing fat storage. – A Facebook post by ‘Fruit IQ’

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Scarlet Sage (Salvia splendens)

According to Wikipedia, Scarlet sage is a member of the mint family’s largest genus, Salvia, which contains over 900 species. Many Salvia species produce a wide range of pharmacological compounds and are widely used in herbal medicines.

However, scarlet sage is only mildly aromatic and generally grown solely as a flowering ornamental, although it too is being studied as a possible diabetes treatment.

Scarlet Sage is also known as ‘fire sage’. This popular ornamental plant is known for its tabular, long-lasting red blooms. The flowers are nectar rich attracting hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Depending on its cultivar, it grows from one to four feet.

It is a perennial sage species that reputedly grows several meters tall in its tropical mountain habitat at elevations of 1000 to 3000 metres. However, I found them in the Flower Dome where the temperature is always spring temperatures.

Scarlet sage usually flowers during the summer in temperate climates. They prefer full sun, or partial shade for optimal flowering. They thrive in well-drained soil, like most plants, but it is moderately drought-tolerant once established.

Deadheading, (the removal of spent flower heads), will encourage continuous blooming throughout the season, and pruning off young growth can encourage a bushier, fuller plant. They are easily grown from seeds.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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Avians - Fun Facts

Live to learn and you will really learn to live. - John C. Maxwell

Knowledge is an antidote to fear. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A peek into the world of our feathered friends. Some interesting fun facts about birds – courtesy of Facebook pages ‘Colours of Nature’, ‘Ancestral Stories’, ‘Weird Facts’, ‘Unbelievable Facts’, ‘Today I Learned’, ‘Science and Facts’, ‘Crazy Creatures’, ‘The Knowledge Factory’, ‘The Study Secrets’ etc… However, I do not know if they are true. Some of them sound really incredible.

A newborn hummingbird is small enough to drink from a single raspberry. Its entire beginning fits in the curve of fruit. But the detail that makes this even more astonishing is what that size demands.

At hatch, a ruby throated hummingbird weighs about 0.6 grams and measures barely an inch long. Three chicks together can weigh less than a single dime.

The nest that holds them is no wider than a quarter, stitched from spider silk so it can stretch as they grow. It flexes with every gram, expanding just enough to keep pace with life.

For the first week, the chicks are blind and nearly featherless. Their mother feeds them a precise blend of nectar and tiny insects, fueling a metabolism that will soon power hovering flight and visits to hundreds of flowers a day.

Within two to three weeks, that berry sized beginning becomes a bird capable of crossing yards in seconds. Scale changes everything.

In the right light, even a raspberry can hold the future of flight. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

Bar-tailed godwits shrink their liver and intestines by 25% before migration, then regrow them after landing. Their heart and flight muscles actually expand during the journey. Wind assistance at 20,000 feet lets them maintain 40 mph for over a week straight. The Alaska to New Zealand route crosses open ocean with zero rest stops. – A Facebook post by ‘Plant Care Today’

Frigatebirds have the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird—seven-foot wings on a three-pound body. They snatch flying fish that leap from the water, grabbing them before they splash back down. Males inflate their bright red throat pouches to basketball size during courtship displays. – A Facebook post by ‘Plant Care Today’

Tiny birds should sink in a flooded marsh. Jacana chicks walk across it.

Hours after hatching they step onto lily pads with feet that look almost comically oversized. But those strange toes are the entire trick. Each toe stretches long and wide, spreading the chick’s weight across floating plants the way snowshoes spread a person across deep powder. The pressure distributes so evenly that delicate leaves barely dip, letting the chicks stride over vegetation that would collapse under most birds.

Wetlands are rarely calm. Pads tilt, slide, and shift with every ripple, so the chicks grow up navigating a floating maze that never quite sits still. They move quickly, plucking insects from the leaves and hopping from pad to pad with surprising confidence for something only hours old.

If danger appears, the chick can even slip beneath the water and hide among the stems, using the maze of plants as cover. In a world where the ground is made of drifting leaves, survival favors the bird that learns to walk on water first. – A Facebook post by ‘Strangest Facts’

A tiny bird that almost disappeared from the planet.

The Black Robin lives on small islands near New Zealand and became one of the rarest birds on Earth when its population crashed to just five individuals in the 1980s.

Almost every Black Robin alive today descends from one single female called Old Blue, the bird that helped save the entire species.

Fun fact: Today, the population has slowly recovered to a few hundred birds, making it one of the most famous wildlife comeback stories.

Scientific name: Petroica traversi – A Facebook post by ‘1 minute Animals’

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Beaumontia Grandiflora aka Easter Lily Vine

I saw this plant in the garden grounds of the Gardens by the Bay. What attracted my attention was the big white flowers with a very nice scent. This was in the afternoon, when flower scents are not at their strongest. But perhaps, the many blooms along the bridge combined to give them a strong fragrant.

Anyway, Google tells me that this is the Beaumontia grandiflora, also commonly known as the Easter lily vine, herald's trumpet, or Nepal trumpet flower. 

It is a sturdy, woody evergreen climber belonging to the Apocynaceae family, and native to the eastern Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. 

You will notice from the photos that the flowers are large, trumpet-shaped, and creamy white in colour resembling the Easter Lily. I guess that is why they are also known as Herald’s Trumpet and Easter Lily vine. The leaves are big and glossy green. The thick woody vines are able to climb along, and far, as long as there is a strong support structure.

Beaumontia Grandiflora thrives well in good soil, adequate water and hot moist conditions, and they are regarded as among the most outstanding vines of the world. Quite an impressive plant really, which is why they are widely cultivated as an ornamental.

Apparently, the plant has medicinal value and is used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory and pain-killing properties. 

Big glossy leaves

The bridge’s rail provides strong support for the sturdy wooden vine winding along it.

You can click on the picture for a better view.

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