Monday, October 24, 2016

A Hong Kong Island hike with plenty of critter spottings, including those of the camouflaged variety (Photo-essay)

The first couple of years that I went hiking here in Hong Kong, I tried very hard to avoid going on trails more than once.  After all, one of my reasons for venturing into the Hong Kong countryside was to explore the territory -- and I know that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles of trails here to go on.

But the more I've hiked in the Big Lychee, the more I've come to have favorite trails that I am happy to do repeat runs on.  One reason is that I've come to discover that the same section of land can look so very different at different times of the year.  Another is that these days, there are such as critter spottings to look forward to rather than solely scenic vistas on a trek.  

In addition, there are certain trails that I like so much that I want to take other people along; with one of them being the agreeably walkable section of the Hong Kong Trail that takes hikers from Wan Chai Gap over to Wong Nai Chung Gap that I've been on more than five times, and with at least five different friends now!  And of course it helps that it almost always yields interesting sights, including of the kind of camouflaged creatures that I'd have been hard pushed to spot when I first began hiking regularly here more than eight years ago now! ;b

A tame looking hill stream that I now know is capable

A mystery bug whose legs look disproportionately longer 
than one might expect, given the size of the rest of it!

A butterfly that could easily be mistaken for a leaf
if one were to walk quickly by it ;b

Shiny fluffy material that got me 
thinking it came from fairyland! :)

 But, of course, the reality's more mundane... ;)

Doesn't this brown grasshopper look like 
it was fashioned out of wood? :O

 I love spotting stick insects because it feels like
such an achievement when I'm able to do so ;b

Your eyes are not deceiving you: that Golden Orb Weaver's 
prey includes a pretty large butterfly!

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