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Thought we take another look at the epiphytes in the rainforest. There are so many types like wild orchids, cacti , lichens , mosses, ferns, bromeliads .. but the most common ones are those in this picture. Epiphytes , also known as air plants, grow on branches, trunks and leaves. Life begins when the birds and strong winds blow the seeds and spores onto these unusual spots on the tall trees. These days many home decorators will pay high prices to get these exotic plants. The longer the leaf span, the better it is. Next , I will have to look out for the protected species , insect eating - pitcher plants.
To get to the dusun , we need to cross over the bamboo bridges. The structure of a bridge is very simple. Two long 5 inch-bamboo poles bound together with rattan , no nails or other timber. To make it more user-friendly for city-folks .. me included ! .. another bamboo pole acts as the steadying handle . It makes a lot of sense since we had to carry the heavy durian seedlings and fertilizers. Best part of all , we do not have to wet our feet over the jungle streams ..
One of the glaring things I took notice while at the dusun was , what became of fallen fruits. After the fruit bats, squirrels and other rodents had their share of the fruit, it was the ants' turn .. then the maggots and red ants . I have yet to find the sequence and time taken , but I found this half-pod with thousands of thriving insects. I picked up the half-pod without realizing I had disturbed ecology .. the rotting fruit with unbearable stench is perfect breeding pod for the many living organism ... there is so much life at the dusun.
Amidst the endless greenery in the secondary jungle , I often come across wild plants and astonishing blooms. We often hear from jungle trekkers not to comment too much on things that we see in the jungle. At least while trekking in the jungle .. the superstition that one may fall sick or get lost. But then jungle spirits aside, I had to capture this bloom. I only showed the others on the TV screen when I got back to the city ! Amazing , the bloom was lying on top of a big, wide-spanning leaf. Not a single bloom when I walked across that section of the jungle ..
They are multi - functional . Wild and proudly standing tall , swaying with the breeze .. we kept the bamboo trees solely to build our hut , bridge and other farming makeshifts. It is much easier since they are at the dusun. Sometimes we can collect bamboo shoots for our dinner as well.
Further down from the two streams , next to the remaining wild bamboo vegetation , I could see the tallest tree that was spared from the chain-saw. As I moved about the undulating land, I would be taking more pictures. This and other scenery changes would be nice breaks from the long monotonous wait for our durian seedlings to grow. 7 long years to have a fully-grown matured fruit bearing durian orchard . Interspersed with the durian trees , we planted a few longan , mango and olive trees.
The view at the top was just breathtaking . Although we have cleared 80% of the land for planting , some really tall trees have been spared , at least for now. These included a few old durian trees and a langsat tree. We needed the shelter from the scorching sun. Notice the jungle plant sitting pretty up there .
There were two jungle streams cutting across the land, which was the Lord's blessing. In order for cultivation of the durian and other fruit trees , plenty of water needed. Some parts of the streams were deeper ... the natural water catchments were our source of irrigation. The streams were lined with rounded flat pebbles, which meant clear running water. Small colorful sword-tail fishes were plentiful .. so beautiful and refreshing ! In order to get to the dusun, we need to cross over these two streams. As such two bamboo bridges were built . The hard part though , was to ferry the water up the slopes. Took some balancing act !
Despite much burning , there was still a beautiful area where we decided to preserve . Overgrown undergrowth and gigantic creepers making its way up the old rubber trees and durian trees ... I had never seen such nice patterns , or rather , never paid much attention previously. There was also the reputed oldest plant on earth, sitting gracefully above ground. Beneath the canopy of these trees , were meandering jungle streams. As I gazed up at the little openings between the trees and the blue skies, I felt so relaxed and completely freed from stress. I could see a few squirrels hurriedly jumping off the branches. So very green .. and I really enjoyed the clean air , a dramatic change from the busy city life in KL.
Thought we take another look at the epiphytes in the rainforest. There are so many types like wild orchids, cacti , lichens , mosses, ferns, bromeliads .. but the most common ones are those in this picture. Epiphytes , also known as air plants, grow on branches, trunks and leaves. Life begins when the birds and strong winds blow the seeds and spores onto these unusual spots on the tall trees. These days many home decorators will pay high prices to get these exotic plants. The longer the leaf span, the better it is. 
