Besides providing tracks for cycling and jogging, our park connectors are also important habitats to an unexpected diversity of wildlife.

Opportunity knocks but once. When it comes to conserving rare and endangered plant species in Singapore, the saying is true in every sense of the word. Imagine the excitement NParks’ conservation officers from the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) felt in February this year, when they spotted the fruit capsules of a critically endangered native plant, Aeschynanthus albidus, on a tree in the Central Nature Reserve. The capsules were swiftly brought back to NParks for mass propagation.

Experiencing nature doesn’t have to involve trekking into dense forests in khakis and boots. In fact, Ms Ling Chai Joo, a parent volunteer at Zhonghua Primary School, firmly believes nature can be enjoyed in the urban environment.

In a previous issue of My Green Space, we featured arborists, who inspect trees to see if they are healthy. Besides these human “tree doctors”, there is also a species of birds that carries out a similar job. Meet the Laced Woodpecker, a bird that plays an interesting and vital role in maintaining the health of trees.