I still remember this sight I saw at the Royal Botanic Gardens back in 2009. The Gardens was once home to a colony of Grey-headed Flying Foxes, a large species of fruitbat. I have never seen so many bats in my life, and they were quite a sight. For a moment, I thought I was in Transylvania. The bats adapted so well in the gardens that they reached 22,000 in the summers of 2008 and 2010, by which time 28 mature trees, 30 palms and many understorey plants had been killed by the roosting flying-foxes. They were subsequently relocated to other parts of Sydney in 2010. I’ll go visit them again on my next trip Down Under.
Tag Archives: gardens
Photography – Men on a Rope
The next time you are in the Cooled Conservatories at Gardens by the Bay, take a moment to lift your head up and see if you can spot the cool folks on harness, cleaning the exterior facade. I wonder how it feels like to scale 58 metres up this impressive structure…must be like a Mission Impossible. I think my legs will turn to jelly faster than I can say “Peanut Butter!”
Gardens by the Bay: SUPERduperTREES
It’s always nice to spend some time with nature when growing up in an urban jungle, and Gardens by the Bay is definitely a great place to be surrounded by flora and fauna. The SuperTrees intrigue me quite a bit because they look so sci-fi, and there’s just so many different ways you can photograph them – how can you ever get bored?
Watch as the Supertrees come alive with a dazzling myriad of light displays bursting across the sky. The OCBC Garden Rhapsody shows are on daily at 7.45pm and 8.45pm.
Read More about Gardens by the Bay
In Full Bloom: Cloud Forest @ Gardens by the Bay
Flower Dome @ Gardens by the Bay
About Gardens by the Bay
At 54 hectares, Bay South Garden is the largest of the three gardens which form Gardens by the Bay. When completed, the Gardens by the Bay will occupy a total of 101 hectares of land by the water around Marina Bay and the 32 hectare Bay East Garden will be linked to the Bay South Garden by Bay Central which will feature a 3 km promenade that offers stunning views of the city. It is masterplanned by UK-based landscape architecture firm Grant Associates. It is viewed as a bold step in enhancing the liveability/quality of life in the city as well as Singapore’s international appeal. Bay South Gardens consists of several signature parts such as the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest cooled conservatories, Supertrees vertical gardens, OCBC Skywalk, Heritage Gardens; The World of Plants and the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes.
Address
18 Marina Gardens Drive Singapore 018953
Website: http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg
Garden Admission
Access to the outdoor gardens in Bay South is free. The admission charges to the Cooled Conservatories and the OCBC Skyway are found here.
• Outdoor Gardens
Rates: Free Admission
Hours: Daily; 05:00 AM – 02:00 AM
• Conservatories (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest)
Rates: From $8 – $28
Hours: Daily; 09:00 AM – 09:00 PM
Last ticket sale at 08:00 PM; Last admission at 08:30 PM
• OCBC Skyway
Rates: From $3 – $5
Hours: Monday – Friday; 09:00 AM – 09:00 PM
Last ticket sale at 08:00 PM; Last admission at 08:30 PM
Weekends & PH
09:00 AM – 09:00 PM
Last ticket sale at 07:00 PM; Last admission at 07:30 PM