Find tools and ideas for selecting and growing vegetables and herbs in urban backyards (or balconies)
Featured posts
Plants for Food 1: Selom
Selom (Oenanthe javanica)Photo by KENPAI (CC BY-SA 3.0) Common name: Java waterdropwort Malay name: Selom Other local names: – Scientific name: Oenanthe javanica Distribution: East, South, and Southeast Asia, as well as Australia Conservation status: Least concern, Cultivated, Native Description Selom is found in the rainforest in Malaysia. Selom is an erect, perennial plant growing…
Rewilding, the case of urban Birdwing butterflies
Here I explain how you can think about ecosystems and how to restore them. The case study of the Golden Birdwing Butterfly, which can be found in the urban forest patch that is Rimba Ilmu Botanic Garden located inside the University of Malaya. Merely reintroducing a species does not produce long lasting results. Butterfly farms…
Plants for Food 2: Ulam raja
Common name: Cosmos, wild cosmos Malay name: Ulam raja Other local names: – Scientific name: Cosmos caudatus Distribution: Pantropical Conservation Status: Least concern, Cultivated, Naturalised species The name of the plant means ‘king of ulam.’ Its scientific name is Cosmos caudatus. Therefore, it is also known as Cosmos in English. This plant is indigenous to…
How to start a wildflower garden
The simplest method is to not do anything and let a patch regrow with wild plants. You can remove any unwanted or dangerous plants through weeding, but there is not much maintenance involved with these patches. A wildflower patch that needs to be tended by humans is an oxymoron. If you want a bit more…
Gliding lizards and how disturbance helps biodiversity
Draco gliding lizards are interesting tropical animals. They have ‘wings’ that fold out from their ribs and allow them to glide from tree to tree. They also have a small flap under their chins that acts as both a flag to communicate and like the tail of a plane to stabilise their flight. When I…
