Chek Jawa boardwalk with Crabs

Early Saturday morning and a bunch of Naked Hermit Crabs were out at Chek Jawa to workshop ideas to prep up for the resumption of boardwalk tours next Sunday.We brainstormed lots of ideas on how to make the walk more fun and interesting. And here we are at the crux of things. As so vividly explained by Marcus: betwix mangrove and coastal forest, and coastal loop and mangrove loop.

All kinds of stuff can be fascinating. Even a pile of poo...Here's a nice pile on a boulder. It was probably left behind by a civet cat. We share stories about how the most exclusive and expensive coffee is 'pre-processed' by the civet cat and gathered from...you guessed it...its droppings! The civet cat is very discerning and collects only the best coffee beans you see. Of course the dropping on Chek Jawa are probably not of coffee beans. Here's an article in the Sydney Morning Herald Post about this coffee and the beast that makes it.

Among the more common Sea Hibiscus bushes, someone highlights the Portia Tree (Thespesia populnea).
It looks almost like the Sea Hibiscus! Although it belongs to the same Family Malvaceae, it is quite different. Most easily distinguished by the lack of slits under the leaves. The fruits are also different. Here's more about the plant.

There was an insect eating the pollen of the flower. At first I thought it was a bee.But it might have been a beetle instead.

As we rounded into the mangroves, we spotted strange crabs!
Besides the little red-eyed fiddler crabs that we've been seeing, we also saw a tiny red one with black eyes! We still don't really know what these crabs are.

And of course, we saw lots of little mudskippers!
So come for the Naked Hermit Crab's Chek Jawa boardwalk tour on 24 Feb (Sun). It's free! See you there!