Rain not urban - but still worthy of a post

Even though much of Malaysia is covered in oil palm plantations, if you go beyond the plantations to the remaining rainforest, you will witness the greatest plant diversity in the world. The country's rainforests have 4500 tree species alone, which create multi-layered canopies and habitats that support great biodiversity among multiple taxonomic groups.

One of the most beautiful images from my time in Malaysia, was a phenomenon called "crown shyness" (left). Where the trees don't cross or cover each other, (hence the "shyness") and you're left with uniform lines of light seeping through the canopy. It kind of looks like the sky is cracking open, similar to the way the ground does after a heavy drought, but completely upside down of course.


At one forest reserve in Borneo, the insect diversity was awe-inspiring. I specifically remember the moths at night. Some with massive wingspans, different colours that you would only expect from butterflies, and very interesting shapes, to say the least. One particular moth at the same forest reserve moved its abdomen up in a way that earned it the nickname - "Scorpion moth". I made sure to keep my distance from this one out of fear that it might sting me, but got close enough to witness this perfect example of biomimicry. 

Then there were the quirky plants. We saw the pitcher plant (Nepenthes), a carnivorous plant endemic to Borneo and the Rafflesia (right) a flowering parasite which was way too pretty to smell that bad. One of my favorite trees, was from the eucalyptus family and it had this incredible red bark that peeled to reveal various shades of red, which looked like paintbrush strokes. Then, there were the mangroves which were kind of eerie, the buttress roots that were hollow and handsome, and the firefly-filled trees that turned one spring evening into a Christmas celebration. 


Malaysia's rainforest and all its diversity, succeeded in reminding me just how beautiful and interesting, functionality can be.