Monitor lizard gets run over by vehicle in Pasir Ris

Dangerous! Joggers could fall into this Sungei Kadut canal

The broken part of this railing along Sungei Kadut Avenue is a potential safety hazard, especially for joggers, says a STOMPer.

He elaborates:

"These pictures were taken at a jogging track beside a canal near the Sri Arasakesari Sivan Temple at Sungei Kadut Ave.

"Part of the metal railing has fallen into the canal.

"There are gaps in the railing due to wear and tear.

"If joggers are not careful they might fall into the canal.

"Also, the canal is full of litter. You can see plastic bags, polystyrene boxes, bottles, cans and how filthy the water is.

"Perhaps NEA should check for pollution of this canal as there are several factories near this jogging track."

Upgrading park connector would benefit Yew Tee residents, says STOMPer

A STOMPer is hoping that NParks would look into improving the conditions of this park connector in Yew Tee.

In an email to STOMP today (May 27), the STOMPer says:

"These pictures were taken at a park in Yew Tee, near the motor workshops at Sungei Kadut Ave. Some of the metal railings beside the canal next to a jogging track have been damaged, and joggers may fall into the canal if they are not careful.

"I hope NParks can acquire this narrow stretch of land beside the canal and extend it to Stagmont Ring so as to join up with the Pang Sua Park Connector.

"If this jogging track can be upgraded, the residents of Yew Tee can then walk from here all the way to Zheng Hua Park in Bukit Panjang.

"Beside this jogging track is a manhole without a cover. This is another danger for unwary joggers.

"Beside this track are numerous fruit trees like the rambutan, papaya and banana.The jogging track is rather quiet and if upgraded, will be a 'windfall' for the residents of Yew Tee and Choa Chu Kang."

Look at the neglected state of Yew Tee Park

A STOMPer was appalled by the neglected state of Yew Tee Park. Litter, fallen leaves and accumulated algae are proof that the grounds have not been maintained for months, according to the STOMPer.

Here's what the STOMPer wrote in an email today (May 25):

"Last week I visited Yew Tee Park at Choa Chu Kang North 6.

"While walking around the park, I felt as if I was alone on a deserted island as there was not another soul in sight.

"There was absolutely no maintenance done. NParks should either upgrade this park or demolish it altogether.

"Photo 1: This faded notice was on a tree trunk. The words are hardly legible. There was a layer of algae covering the words.

"Photo 2: The lamp in the park looked pathetic as it was slanting at a dangerous angle. It looked ready to topple over.

"Photo 3: You can see cigarette butts, beer bottles and beer cans strewn on the floor.

"Photo 4: You can see discarded bottles, brown leaves and algae covering the benches. It looked as if the park had not been swept for the last three months."

Monday Morgue: 25th May 2009

Orange striped hermit crab (Clibanarius infraspinatus)
Changi, 20th June 2008

Wild Fact Sheets
Online Guide to Chek Jawa
A Guide to Seashore Life

The beauty and ugliness of CCK Park Connector

A STOMPer was at Pang Sua Park Connector at Choa Chu Kang and feels the litter in the canal spoils the beauty of the place.

Says the STOMPer:

"These pictures were taken at the Pang Sua Park Connector (PSPC) which connects the Choa Chu Kang Park with the Zheng Hua Park.

"The park connector runs alongside a canal and is parallel to Verde View.

"The litter in the canal includes plastic containers, bottles, polystyrene cups and metal cans.

"Probably they were left there by joggers and foreign workers who came to picnic here on a Sunday afternoon.

"Perhaps NParks could put up notices in more languages to advise foreign workers not to litter along the park connector and the canal.

"The PSPC runs beneath the KJE flyover and the Yew Tee flyover. You can see a man sitting on a yellow chair as he takes a break from the heat of the afternoon sun.

"Kudos to NParks for the newly planted trees with very little leaves.

"As these were instant trees they were held in position by guy ropes and guy poles.

"After a few months the guy ropes will be removed.

"The trees by then would have sprouted new leaves and would provide shade for joggers and cyclists.

"This bird nest hangs on the barbed wire fence in a protected area.

"Probably the mother bird is thinking that a nest within the premises of a protected place would be safe from human marauders."

Old woman feeds pigeons and crows illegally in park, chases student away

STOMPer iishfromedmw observed this elderly woman dumping a bag of bird feed on the ground to feed a large flock of birds. The old woman even chased away a student who tried to disperse the birds.

According to the STOMPer, there were crows among the pigeons.

The feeding of stray pigeons in any premises or public place is prohibited in Singapore.

In the STOMPer's email:

"Last Wednesday (May 20) I witnessed a group of elderly people feeding the birds illegally.

"I caught them on video, as well as photos.

"Is this really what our society is becoming? There's a signboard stating 'Please do not litter' but they still committed the offence.

"Are they spared from the law because they are senior citizens?

"There was a student trying to scare the birds away. The old lady became very angry and shooed the student away.

"What is the world coming to?

"You can even see that there was a luggage bag filled with bird food. They were not birds but crows.

"What is this? You be the judge."

Do check out the video posted on STOMP.

Related posts: Bird droppings everywhere because of too many pigeons (29th January 2009)
Crazy pigeon is not afraid of people and steals food from their plates (23rd January 2009)
Uncle feeds pigeons despite 'No Feeding' sign at Bencoolen Street (22nd January 2009)
Neighbour always leaves food for birds! (21st January 2009)

Mynah laid eggs in my air-con wallboard!

STOMPer Steven was disturbed every night by the incessant chirping of a mynah and realised that the sounds were coming from his air-con unit.

This STOMPer says:

"I have been interrupted by a Mynah bird every night.

"I pulled out my air-con and I saw alot of dry grass inside my wallboard.

"When I cleared the grass , I found two eggs, but one had already broken .

"So I decided to put the egg back in the hole after I cleared the grass.

"I realised that the mynah had flew back again every day because there was still one egg inside the board.

"I am waiting for the egg to hatch and the bird to fly off , then I will seal up the hole."

Looks like this particular pair of common myna (Acridotheres tristis) have chosen quite an interesting spot to raise their brood. I'm not sure if the mynas will still continue to tend to the egg after the disturbance, although I won't be surprised if they do rebuild the nest and cram in more nesting material.

Cement here, there, everywhere. Where's the greenery, Town Council?

STOMPer Adam is concerned that town councils are cementing many areas in housing estates, leaving no room for grass and plants.

He said in an email to STOMP today (May 20):

"Town councils should follow the government's Clean & Green policy.

"West Coast Town Council has been cementing large areas of lawns and green spaces.

"Sadly, other town councils are doing the same.

"Cutting down trees and turning green spaces into concrete should not be in the town councils' plans.

"Town councils can beautify HDB estates by proper maintenance of trees and green spaces."

Poisonous or edible mushrooms? This knowledge can save your life

Knowing the difference between edible and poisonous mushrooms can save your life, says a STOMPer, who spotted these wild and poisonous mushrooms in a garden.

He warns that poisonous mushrooms usually turn red when boiled and reminds everyone to be aware of what they are consuming.

In an email, the STOMPer says:

"This wild mushroom (pictured above) is highly poisonous and it grows freely beneath your garden plants. It sprouts up early in the morning and by late afternoon it shrivels and droops at an angle.

"Mushrooms are the fruits of fungus. The fungus itself is a net of threadlike fibres called a mycellium, growing in soil and decaying matter.

"The function of a mushroom is to produce spores which are the "seeds" of the fungus.

"The spores fall off to blow away on the wind or be carried by animals, water or insects. If a spore lands in a suitable spot, it germinates and grows into a new mycellium.

"Some mushrooms are extremely poisonous and are often fatal if ingested by humans. They contain organic toxins that destroy cells in the central nervous system, blood vessels, kidneys and liver.

"The mushrooms sold in our wet markets are the shiitake mushroom and the oyster mushroom. The shiitake is dark brown in colour and has an umbrella shaped cap and tan gills. The oyster mushroom resembles a fan and is usually beige brown in colour. It can be eaten raw in salads.

"Poisonous mushrooms are brightly coloured, usually red or yellow. Poisonous mushrooms will turn slightly red when boiled.

"Such simple knowledge may be a matter of life and death for you if you are not careful.

"Here is a picture of an edible mushroom."

I'm afraid that the person's assertion that poisonous mushrooms will turn red when boiled is complete nonsense. There are no hard and fast rules where it comes to identifying poisonous mushrooms. There are poisonous mushrooms which closely resemble perfectly edible species, and as far as I know, there is nothing in the literature which states that poisonous mushrooms turn red when boiled. The Wikipedia page on mushroom poisoning has a list of folk traditions on how to differentiate poisonous mushrooms from edible ones, and it would be extremely foolhardy to depend solely on such dubious advice. Dispensing erroneous advice that is not backed up by any actual scientific evidence is downright irresponsible.


(Photo by Zetrax)

Identifying mushrooms requires close and intimate knowledge of the mushroom species that may be found growing in a particular geographic area. Such knowledge does not come easily, and typically requires lots of reading, consultation with experts, and spending time out in the field examining the various species of mushrooms.

Like almost every other taxonomic group, fungi are not exactly the most well-studied organisms around, and it is more than likely that in any given area, there are mushroom species that have yet to be scientifically described, let alone tested for edibility.


(Photo by naturecord)

Comprehensive identification guides have been written for many parts of the world, enabling mushroom pickers to confidently identify which ones are safe to eat and which ones spell a trip to the emergency room, although as far as I know, such a guide has not been published for Singapore's mushroom species; I think the closest equivalent would be A Guide to Tropical Fungi, which was published in 1990. The usefulness of these guidebooks is very much constrained by geography; the mushrooms of North America and Europe are relatively well-known compared to those found in tropical South-east Asia, and a guide written specifically for people living in the northern United States of America would definitely be all but useless in trying to identify mushrooms in Singapore. Even with a guidebook in hand, identification of mushroom can be tricky, and not every mushroom encountered in the wild might be listed in a guidebook. Because fungal spores can be dispersed over great distances, it is possible to encounter a mushroom species not typically known to occur within a particular area. And as the climate changes, and the distribution of certain species shifts in response to these changes, it is likely that a guidebook that was written several decades ago would become obsolete to some degree.


(Photo by Miko 姫)

Here's an excerpt from Poisonous mushrooms of the northern United States and Canada, which gives extremely valuable advice in making sure that one does not unwittingly pick and consume poisonous mushrooms.

No single test or rule can be used to determine the edibility of any mushroom or any fungus. Each species must be carefully studied and learned so that edible species can be separated from those that are poisonous. If you are unfamiliar with the structure and identification of fungi, study reliable literature, enroll in a course on mushroom identification, or join a mushroom club or society. As you learn to identify mushrooms and other fungi, have each identification checked by an authority so you know it is correct. In other words learn something about the subject before you start collecting for food. After some of the common species are learned, additional ones can be studied and added to those you already know. In a few seasons you will be able to identify and collect one or more edible species.

Some general tests for determining the edibility of fungi are strictly superstition and are entirely unreliable. One of these is the belief that garlic cloves or silver coins turn blue or black when they are cooked in the same pan with poisonous mushrooms. Nevertheless, there are several useful guidelines that can be followed, which greatly reduce the risk of being poisoned. Some of these guidelines that make collecting fungi for food a less dangerous hobby are listed below.

• Be absolutely sure of the identification of the species you are collecting for food.


• Collect each specimen carefully and remove the entire fruit body from the substratum to check its identification. Several species of mushroom may grow together and it is easy to become careless and make a mistake, especially in a good season.


• Collect only one species at a time. If you collect more than one species, keep each in a separate container or package.


• Do not collect overmature or spoiled fruit bodies. Only fresh, young specimens are good for food. As mushrooms age they often decay and are not suitable for eating.


• Keep specimens clean by removing excess soil and debris, but do not cut away parts of the mushroom, or other identifying features. Note the substratum and habitat where the fruit bodies are collected, and be sure of the location.


• Collect and transport specimens in a sturdy, well-aired container, such as a market basket.


• On reaching home, put specimens in a cool, dry place, preferably a refrigerator. If specimens are wet or soiled, place or wrap them them in a dry, clean package or container.


• Clean and process or eat the specimens as soon as possible after you arrive home. Mushrooms and other fungi deteriorate rapidly and should not be kept longer than 24 hours before processing or eating. As you prepare the specimens, cut each lengthwise and check for spoilage or insect damage.


• Do not eat wild mushrooms raw.


• Eat only one kind of mushroom at a time. Do not overeat.


• The first time you sample a species of mushroom, eat only a small amount and observe your reaction to it. Save a few intact fresh specimens for identification in case you become ill.


• Learn as much as you can about the various kinds of poisoning and the related symptoms.


• If you do experience symptoms of poisoning, empty your stomach as soon as possible and seek medical aid.


• Report all poison cases. Your experiences may prevent others from making similar mistakes.

(Photo by redpolkadot)

I don't have a copy of A Guide to Tropical Fungi, and have never browsed through it before, so I have no idea how much attention is given to differentiating poisonous and edible species found in Singapore. At the same time, however, I'm sure that the following piece of advice works just as well: Don't pluck and eat wild mushrooms. You can't get any more straightforward than that.

Unsightly dead plants at AMK Hub spoils S'pore's green and clean image

Singapore is a clean and green country but look at the unsightly dead plants at AMK Hub, says STOMPer Sherly Boscura.

"I am a foreign student in Singapore doing my work attachment.

"Singapore is a clean and green country but look at the disgusting sight of dead plants at AMK Hub.

"I am wondering if the mall management is aware of it. Plants should be regularly maintained. They should not be left to survive by themselves.

"Having said that, I wish to say that the mall has a clean environment to shop in."