Pagoda

This pagoda was on display at a flower show recently.

According to the Marriam-Webster dictionary, pagoda is defined as : "A tower in eastern Asia usually with roofs curving upward at the division of each of several stories and erected as a temple or memorial."

Here is a more detailed information from the signboard at the Display.

“A pagoda is a tiered tower structure that symbolises sacred mountains. They were originally built to house relics or the remains of royalty and saints. The origin of a pagoda can be traced to the stupa, a dome-shaped monument, used to house Buddhist relics and saints. Overtime, the stupa evolved to take on various forms in different parts of Asia. In East Asia, the design of Chinese pagodas is inspired by the integration of Chinese towers and pavilions and has since become an important part of Chinese architecture. In Southeast Asia, numerous pagodas have been built as Chinese culture has spread through the ages.”

Pagodas are traditionally built with an odd number of levels.

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Trees

“If you must walk in someone's shadow make sure it's your own.” - Rasheed Ogunlaru

Trees provide a respite from the hot afternoon sun. They also cast lovely shadows.

These trees by the side of the road provide shelter from the heat for pedestrians. Trees selected for this purpose are usually leafy rain trees.

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Peony Display

There is a Peony display at the Flower Dome at the Gardens by the Bay. Today is the last day of the display. Being a member of the ‘Friends of the Garden’, I got a free entry to the display.

Here are some photos I took at the display, and some trivia about Peonies which I picked up from the display.

"Peonies are hardy and can live for up to 100 years! They are relatively disease-resistant and unattractive to deer and rabbits, hence rarely get chewed on or eaten."

"The blooms of tree peonies come in delicate shades of red, pink, white and yellow. The flower buds can grow up to the size of a small apple, and blossom into an impressive 8-inch-wide flower."

"The peony is named after Paeon, physician of the Olympian gods and student of Asclepius, the god of medicine in ancient Greek mythology. Paeon is known to use the healing properties of peonies gathered on Mount Olympus to cure deities."

"Peonies are native to China and Bhutan. They are considered as the ‘king of flowers’ and highly valued for its stunning display of fluffy layered blooms."

The above information is from the signboards at the exhibition.

This is the flower garden. All flower displays are held here.

Paeonia lactifora is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Paeoniaceae, native to central and eastern Asia from eastern Tibet across northern China to eastern Siberia. - Wikipedia

The beauty of ‘Flower Displays’ in the Flower Dome is that they don’t just display a few pots of flowers. They also display the history, and cultures the flowers are associated with. Visitors get to learn the legends and significance of the flower in relation to the people or country. It is all very informative.

If you are interested you can have a look 👉 HERE

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Batoko Plum Tree

It looks like the Batoko plum are in season again. The fruits appear a few times a year. I know because there are many of these trees along my walk route.

I used to call them fake maraschino cherries because they look like maraschino cherries without the stalk. Later on, I found out from the National Parks website that they are called Flacourtia inermis, or known commonly as lovi-lovi, or Batoko Plum.

According to information from the site, they are rich in Vitamin C and Antioxidants. They are edible in that they are not poisonous. But they are too sour and too acidic to be really edible. I have tried them, after a fellow walker told me that they are edible. I guess that is why the birds leave them alone to ripen. However, they are good for making chutneys and jams.

A young Batoko tree. They don’t grow very tall.

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Parmentiera Aculeata

I was taking a stroll in the 'Gardens by the Bay' when I chanced upon this tree. I have seen the tree before, but this time, something on the tree caught my attention. There were fruits on the tree. The fruits look like bananas – yellow and elongated, but bigger.

I tried to look for a sign that says what this plant is, but I couldn’t find one. A search on Google tells me that the plant is called Parmentiera aculeata, a species of flowering plant, which belongs to the genus Parmentiera, and family Bignoniaceae. The fruits are said to be edible.

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Puddles

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” - Wayne Dyer

There has been more rain than usual recently leaving puddles of water in potholes on roads that are no more in use. I came across quite a few of these on my afternoon walk, on the day that I decided to deviate a bit from my normal walk route.

In the puddles were nice reflections of the sky, the weeds and trees. The hunter in me immediately seized the opportunity to take some photos for the 'Reflection Hunters contest'.

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