010 : Field Studies, Sentosa (part i)

We made a field trip to Sentosa on the 11th of July 2020 to study the rock formation found around the area. Using the Geology Map of Singapore as a reference point, we focused on the beach head around Fort Siloso as the main site.

An overview of the area from Google Maps.

A clearing to Renau face. This beachhead is facing north.

There was a clear separation between the beach head and the fort itself. Granite rocks were used to fortify a barrier between the sea and the compound.

Above are some findings and samples that we have collected during our visit. Samples will be documented by Kathy. The beach head was teeming with wildlife, crabs, sea snails and cockroaches were scurrying around the entire beach head. I believe the rare encounter with humans have given these little sea critters a safe space to thrive.

There were plenty of obstacles along the way. We chanced upon two fallen trees and this prevented us from venturing further.

Can this be a fossil?

009 : Field Studies, Evolution Garden

The Evolution Garden is a space within the Singapore Botanic Garden that houses flora from the prehistoric era. From cycads to ferns, visitors could get up close to these ancient greens. We decided to do a field trip to the Evolution Garden to understand more about the characteristics of the flora and also how the environment might have looked like back then.

An Araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk Island Pine; Akrukaria)

The ancient araucaria family (Araucariaceae) contains three genera (Araucaria, Agathis, and Wollemia) and forty-one species of cone-bearing trees native to forested regions of the Southern Hemisphere, including South America, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. During the Jurassic Period, the family had an extensive distribution in both hemispheres, extending as far north as England, Greenland, and Sweden. In majestic size and beauty, araucariads rival the grander members of the pine family (Pinaceae); both families are conifers (Pinophyta). Fossil evidence indicates that ancient araucaria forests resembling present-day species date back to the age of dinosaurs. Today, araucaria forests are limited to the Southern Hemisphere and are considered a counterpart to the pine and spruce forests of the Northern Hemisphere.

Although sometimes referred to as “pines,” members of the araucaria family have seed cones and foliage that are distinctly different from those of the pine family. Trees in the pine family have cone scales with a pair of winged ovules (seeds) on the upper surface; members of the araucaria family have only one ovule per scale. The seed of Araucaria is fused to the scale and falls with the scale when the cone disintegrates. In Agathis, the seed is winged and free from the scale. Unlike the typical, slender, needlelike leaves of the pine family, the sharply pointed leaves of the araucaria family are quite variable; depending upon the species, they range from scale-like or awl-shaped to linear or oblong. Some species have broad leaves that superficially resemble the leaves of flowering plants.

A King Sago Palm flaunting its seed

Cycas revoluta(Sotetsu[Japaneseソテツ],sago palm,king sago,sago cycad, Japanese sago palm), is a species of gymnosperm in the family Cycadaceae, native to southern Japan including the Ryukyu Islands. It is one of several species used for the production of sago, as well as an ornamental plant.

This very symmetrical plant supports a crown of shiny, dark green leaves on a thick shaggy trunk that is typically about 20 cm (7.9 in) in diameter, sometimes wider. The trunk is very low to subterranean in young plants, but lengthens above ground with age. It can grow into very old specimens with 6–7 m (over 20 feet) of trunk; however, the plant is very slow-growing and requires about 50–100 years to achieve this height. Trunks can branch several times, thus producing multiple heads of leaves.

Appearing during the early Carboniferous Period (around 350 million years ago), ferns predate flowers, dinosaurs, and even seeds. They got it right the first time, though, because the essentials of fern physiology are the same now as before the thunderlizards.

Modern ferns have been hybridized into countless variations of size, colour, and texture. Most tropical species, with notable exceptions such as the giant Australian tree fern, are easy to care for in the home, with some species (such as Bostons) even removing toxins from the air.

References :

https://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/the-araucaria-family-past-present/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycas_revoluta

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/prehistoric+plants+thrive+today/9631047/story.html#:~:text=Appearing%20during%20the%20early%20Carboniferous,now%20as%20before%20the%20thunderlizards.

008 : Work In Progress

Here is a short WIP for one of our upcoming VR installations. We are currently in the midst of documenting flora related to the Triassic period ( palms,cycads and ferns).