A Nose for Nature: The Importance of Floral Fragrances and How They Can Help Conserve the Hong Kong Eagle’s Claw
25 September 2023 | Plants & Us
25 September 2023 | Plants & Us
By Ned Liu, Botanist, Flora Conservation Department Most plants use flowers to coordinate their sex lives: flowers contain ovules (or egg cells), which are housed in the ovary at the base of the (fem...
It is estimated that at least 20% of all species on Earth now face extinction, with as many as 150 species being permanently expunged from the world's biological inventory every day. We urgently need...
There are 25 species of bats in Hong Kong, accounting for almost half the number of local mammal fauna. Bats can be generally categorised into two groups insectivorous bats and fruit bats, although ...
Plants are great travellers and have colonised, flourished but also perished in many places. Patterns in plant distribution have emerged over many millions of years of evolution. The southeast Asia b...
Written by Jinlong Zhang With the publication of the fourth volume of Flora of Hong Kong (Hu & Wu, 2008) in 2011 and the Check List of Hong Kong Plants in 2012, 2,175 native plant species have be...
Using DNA forensics to uncover the mysteries of the medicinal orchid trade in Hong Kong
16 March 2023 | Plants & Us
16 March 2023 | Plants & Us
Many people are fascinated by orchids because of their beautiful flowers. However, when processed orchids or their parts, such as leaves, tubers and roots, are sold as traditional Chinese medicine (T...
To plant a tree, we dig a hole, place the root ball of the seedling inside, and back-fill the gaps with soil. It is as simple as that. However, this is only the beginning of a massive, long-term comm...
Glue traps are indiscriminate and cruel - 25 rescued wild animals recorded in just the first four weeks of January 2023
3 February 2023 | Animal Stories
3 February 2023 | Animal Stories
We have recently observed an alarming increase in the number of glue trap victims admitted to our Wild Animal Rescue Centre. We are sharing our latest statistics here in the hope it will discourage r...
Computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound are commonly used in human healthcare – but did you know that crocodilians can have them, too?
10 January 2023 | Animal Stories
10 January 2023 | Animal Stories
Our resident crocodilians Yeung Yeung and Jo have joined a ground-breaking scientific study that utilises these techniques to assess their healthJo, a Spectacled Caiman Photo credit: Aquatic Animal ...
As we move into the flowering season of the ivy tree (Schefflera heptaphylla), a common species native to Hong Kong, we can hear the buzzing of numerous nectar-craving insects.Ivy Treein bloom at KFB...