Psittacula krameri 紅領綠鸚鵡、玫瑰環頸鸚鵡、環頸鸚鵡、月輪鸚鵡、印度紅領鸚鵡

Common name: Ring-necked Parakeet
Scientific name: Psittacula krameri 紅領綠鸚鵡、玫瑰環頸鸚鵡、環頸鸚鵡、月輪鸚鵡、印度紅領鸚鵡
Genus: Psittacula 鸚鵡屬
Family: Psittaculidae 舊世界鸚鵡科, Old World parrots
Order: Order: Psittaciformes 鸚形目

Remarks:

Status: Scarce, locally common introduced resident. It is native in Africa and the Indian Subcontinent.

Date: 13th Dec 

[100_1]

[094_1]

[098_1]

Periparus ater 煤山雀

Common name: Coal Tit
Scientific name: Periparus ater 煤山雀
Genus: Periparus 煤山雀屬
Family: Paridae 山雀科, the tits 山雀, chickadees 北美山雀* and titmice* family
Order: Passeriformes 雀形目

Remarks: *chickadees and titmice are native to North America.

Status: Common, widespread resident.

Date: 29th Aug

Parus major 歐亞大山雀, 大山雀

Common name: Great Tit
Scientific name: Parus major 歐亞大山雀, 大山雀
Genus: Parus 山雀屬
Family: Paridae 山雀科, the tits 山雀, chickadees 北美山雀* and titmice* family

Order: Passeriformes 雀形目

Remarks: *chickadees and titmice are native to North America.

Status: Common, widespread resident.

Date: 29th Aug

Chloris chloris 歐金翅雀

Common name: Greenfinch, European Greenfinch
Scientific name: Chloris chloris 歐金翅雀
Genus: Chloris 綠金翅雀屬
Family: Fringillidae 雀科, 燕雀科, songbird family

Order: Passeriformes 雀形目

Status: Common resident.

Date: 29th Aug

Spinus spinus 黃雀

Common name: Siskin
Scientific name: Spinus spinus 黃雀
Genus: Spinus 黃雀屬
Family: Fringillidae 雀科, 燕雀科, songbird family
Order: Passeriformes 雀形目

Status: Locally fairly common resident.

Date: 29th Aug

Male.

Fringilla coelebs 蒼頭燕雀

Common name: Chaffinch
Scientific name: Fringilla coelebs 蒼頭燕雀
Genus: Fringilla 燕雀屬
Family: Fringillidae 雀科, 燕雀科, songbird family
Order: Passeriformes 雀形目

Status: Very common resident.

Date: 29th Aug

Male.

Female.

Impatiens capensis 斑點橙鳳仙花、斑點鳳仙花、橙黃鳳仙花、卡佩鳳仙花、好望角鳳仙花、普通鳳仙花、斑點勿碰我、女士耳墜、珠寶草

Common name: Orange Balsam
Scientific name: Impatiens capensis 斑點橙鳳仙花、斑點鳳仙花、橙黃鳳仙花、卡佩鳳仙花、好望角鳳仙花、普通鳳仙花、斑點勿碰我、女士耳墜、珠寶草
Genus: Impatiens 鳳仙花屬
Family: Balsaminaceae 鳳仙花科, balsam family

Origin: Neophyte (established after 1500 AD). It is a native of North America. It was introduced to Britian in 1818 and was recorded in the wild from 1822.

Date: 18th Aug

[306] An erect, glabrous annual, can reach up to 1.5 m.

[309]

[292_3] The tip of the stem showing the branching and small leaves and flower buds.

[292_1] Leaves 3-8 cm, with less than 10 teeth on each side.

[314_1] Underside of the leaf.

[311] Stem swollen at nodes.

[301] Flowering plant.

[305] Axillary inflorescence.

[288_3] Very thin bracts.

[293_1] Few-flowered axillary inflorescence.

[288_1] Different stages of flower buds. Top and rather front view of a flower bud above. 2 pale pink later sepals and stipule could be seen above.

[289_1] Lateral view of a flower bud showing pale pink lateral sepals, orange lower sepal with curved sepal spur.

[285_1] Lateral view of a open flower. Flowers about 3.5 cm.

[300_1] Dorsal petal (standard petal), upper petals, lower petals in addition to lateral sepal and lower sepal could be seen now. Androecium is seen and thus it is now the male stage of the flower.  

[298_1] Top and end view of the flower showing the erect dorsal (standard petal) at the front, 2 pale pink lateral sepals and the large orange lower sepal with curved sepal spur.

[296_1] Erect dorsal petal (standard petal), 2 upper petals, 2 lower petals, androecium (filaments and anthers) in addition to lateral sepal and lower sepal with sepal spur could be seen above.   

[288_1] Front view of the flower.

[283_1] Flower orange with deep orange (brown?) spots inside.

[283_2] Enlarged photo above showing the androecium (filaments and anthers). White powders are the pollens released already. 

[314_2] Developing capsules. (Sorry, not in focus)

Impatiens parviflora 小花鳳仙花、小花勿碰我

Common name: Small Balsam
Scientific name: Impatiens parviflora 小花鳳仙花、小花勿碰我
Genus: Impatiens 鳳仙花屬
Family: Balsaminaceae 鳳仙花科, balsam family

Origin: Neophyte (established after 1500 AD). It is a native of central Asia. It was introduced to Britain in 1830 and was record in the wild in 1848.

Date: 19th Aug

[363] An erect, glabrous annual, can reach up to 1 m.

[365] Flowering now.

[353] Leaves 5-15 cm, with more than 20 teeth on each side. (vs leaves 5-12 cm, with 6-15 teeth on each side in Impatiens noli-tangere 水金鳳、輝菜花, touch-me-not balsam)

[355] Underside of the leaf.

[354_1] Top view showing where the inflorescence and leaves arise.

[356_1] Stem glabrous, zigzag shaped. Leaves alternate.

[357_1] A pair of glands? at the leaf axil. Inflorescence (the left thinner one) also arises from the leaf axil (axillary inflorescence). 

[359_1] Base of stem swollen, with roots could be seen above.

[337_2] Bracts.

[344_1] Side view of the flower and also showing different stages of flower buds and the inflorescence.

[337_1] Sepal spur is straight, not curved. Green lateral sepals, yellow dorsal petal, upper petal and lower petal could be seen.

[347_1] Anther view of the male stage of flower. Flowers small, 5-15 mm, pale yellow.

[341_1] Upper view of the flower, the 2 green lateral sepals, yellow dorsal petal with green midrib (standard petal) and 2 lower petals could be seen.

[348_1] Anther view showing the  the 2 green lateral sepals, the lower sepal with straight sepal spur, yellow dorsal petal with green midrib (standard petal), 2 upper petals and 2 lower petals. 

[334_1] Androecium could be seen above. This is the male stage of the flower.

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[335_1] This is a flower of female stage. Androecium had dropped and gynoecium (stigma and style) could now be seen. 

[340_1] Developing capsule.

[350_1] Capsule slightly swollen.

Impatiens noli-tangere 水金鳳、輝菜花

Common name: Touch-me-not Balsam
Scientific name: Impatiens noli-tangere 水金鳳、輝菜花
Genus: Impatiens 鳳仙花屬
Family: Balsaminaceae 鳳仙花科, balsam family

Origin: native
Status: very rare

Date: 11th Aug

[145] A large cluster of touch-me-not balsam.

[110_1] An erect, glabrous annual, can reach up to 100 cm.

[101] Individual with flower and young capsule (the linear structure above the yellow flower). Leaves alternate.

[069_1] Leaves 5-12 cm, with 6-15 teeth on each side.

(vs leaves 5-15 cm, with more than 20 teeth on each side in Impatiens parviflora 小花鳳仙花、小花勿碰我, small balsam)

[073_1] Younger leaves.

[073_2] A very young leaf.

[075_1] Underside of the leaf showing the venation.

[074] Stem in zigzag shape. Leaves alternate.

[076] Few-flowered axillary inflorescence.

[076_2] Enlarged photo above showing the leaf base and the teeth.

[142_1] Stem base and a few root could be seen above.

[079_1] There are some swollen structures near the base of the stem. These galls are probably caused by larvae of Pristerognatha fuligana (a kind of moth belonged to Tortricidae 捲葉蛾科 of  Lepidoptera 鱗翅目) . Other botanical sources these swellings are characterisitc for older plants.

[081_cropped] Some red roots? emerged from the gall?

[103] Individual with flower and young capsule (the linear structure above the yellow flower).

[060] Flowers hanging below leaves.

[135] Few-flowered axillary inflorescence.

[114_1] Few-flowered axillary inflorescence. Different stages of flower buds.

[063_1] A bigger flower bud with sepal spur could be seen now.

[054_1] Bract.

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Every flower starts with male stage, followed by female stage. The followings are male stage of flowers:

[103_1] Flowers about 3.5 cm, yellow with brown spots.

[053_3] There are 3 sepals and 5 petals. The above photo showing the Lateral view of the flower with 2 lateral sepals (Lts), 1 lower sepal (Los) with sepal spur (SeS) at its end, 1 dorsal petal or standard petal (Dop), 2 upper petals or basal lobes of lateral petal or wing petal (UpP), 2 lower petals or distal lobes of lateral petal or wing petal (LoP).

[048_3] Front view of the flower showing different parts of it. Keys same as above. It is a flower of male stage. Androecium (An).

[055_3] Upper view of the flower showing different parts of it. Keys same as above. Bract (br).

[120_1] Top view of the flower showing the sepals.

[119_1] Different stages of male stages of the flowers.

[048_1]

[126_1]

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Followings are enlarged photos showing different stages of the androecium:

[119_2] At first, the filaments of stamens completely enclose the green gynoecium in the middle of the flower.

[048_2]

[049_2]

[126_3] This is a later stage of male stage of a flower. There are 5 stamens. Each stamen is composed of 1 filament (Fi) with 2 anthers (An) attached to its end. The white powders near the anthers are the pollens (Po). It could be seen that the filaments (Fi) had moved apart, revealing the green style (St) of the gynoecium. The androecium (filaments and anthers) would dehisce completely afterwards to review the gynoecium and enter the female stage of the flower.  

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The followings are female stage of flowers:

[107] After the male part dehisced, the gynoecium (style and stigma) could now be seen. It becomes a flower of female stage now. In this way, it prevents self-pollination by protandry.

[106_1] Enlarged photo above showing the style (Se) and stigma (Sa).

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[066_1] Different stages of capsules.

[067_1] Capsule.

[112_1] Capsule seems ready to explode to release the seeds..

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[088] Larva of Deilephila elpenor 紅天蛾, the elephant hawk moth (belonged to Deilephila 白腰天蛾屬, Sphingidae 天蛾科 of Lepidoptera 鱗翅目) feeding on it.