Combining your passion into the story....

                                     
                                           Rafflesia: Photo by ma_suska

Rafflesia has the largest known individual flower in the world. This fascinating southeast Asian plant also has the distinction of being one of the stinkiest plants around; its foul-smelling odor attracts carrion insects.

When visiting the rainforest at the Royal Belum State Park in Malaysia last December, the rafflesia we found was not in flower. Our  guide told us that animals eat the fleshy plant despite it's fetid odor, but if a human touches the rafflesia, it dies! Nature never ceases to amaze me, which is why I wanted to be able to include interesting ecological morsels into the storyline of my novel, Pursuit of the Golden Lily. Exploring and experiencing the wonders of the natural world has been a lifelong passion for me. So, as the story seeds planted in the fertile ground of my imagination begin to germinate, I'll be sure to seek out opportunities to continue including aspects of nature in my plot lines.

The photo of this enormous leaf was taken in the rainforest at Royal Belum. The biodiversity that exists in rainforests such as these is extraordinary. Unfortunately the planting of monocultures such the palm oil tree is threatening biodiversity throughout Malaysia and Indonesia. Huge tracts of virgin forest are logged to make way for palm oil plantations and while the boost to the economy in Malaysia is undeniable, it is not sustainable. If you haven't heard about palm oil, just look at the ingredients of your grocery items next time you go shopping. You'll find that palm oil has become a ubiquitous ingredient. Palm oil can be planted and harvested sustainably. Adhering to persistent demands from ecologically minded consumers, Target and Costco have both committed to establishing stronger guidelines for palm oil sourcing. It's a start. There's still a long way to go but never forget that as consumers, we drive the markets. It's never too late to get involved!
Thanks for stopping by. My novel is currently available as an eBook and will soon be for sale on Amazon and Kindle.
Learn more about Certified Sustainable Palm Oil
Is Malaysia's Palm Oil worth the cost?
Learn more about the fascinating Rafflesia

Biodiversity & Hornbills

Rhinoceros hornbill

In writing Pursuit of the Golden Lily, I wanted to weave a variety of ecological and environmental topics into the narrative. Part of the story takes place in southern Thailand, in what is now the Bang Lang National Park. This vast area of mountainous rainforest straddles the border with Malaysia. On the Malaysian side is the Royal Belum State Park, located in Northern Perak. My research for the book led me to hornbills - prehistoric-looking birds that roam the forests. Both parks are home to several different species of hornbills. Sadly, many species of Thai hornbills are at present near extinction.

A Hornbill Research Team led by Dr. Pilai Poonswad, holding a captured rufous-necked hornbill.

Aside from their obvious unique beauty, hornbills provide a vital service to the forests they inhabit. As far-ranging fruit eaters, they help maintain forest regeneration and biodiversity by dispersing seeds as they 'eat on the fly'. Healthy forests depend on birds like hornbills to maintain diversity of species. Hornbills are poached for a couple of reasons. The first is the pet trade - the chicks are captured then sold. The second is that the appendage on the upper bill, called a casque is a valuable commodity in some societies. Made of a substance called keratin, the casque is sometimes referred to as hornbill ivory and is sought after to be carved into precious objects.

Rhinoceros hornbill: Photo by Tom Murphy VII

Helmeted hornbill: Photo by Doug Janson

We didn't visit Bang Lang National Park on our journey, but we did get to see hornbills when we were at Khao Sok Lake; unfortunately they were too far up in the treetops for me to capture a good photo. We did, however, visit the Royal Belum State Park, which is absolutely beautiful. I'll write more about that in the next post, continuing on the theme of biodiversity and Pursuit of the Golden Lily.

Maintaining biodiversity in all regions of earth is crucial to our own survival. Every tiny insect, yes, even the ubiquitous mosquito that we disdain, has a purpose.

Pursuit of the Golden Lily is available as an eBook and will be on Amazon and Kindle by the time my next post comes around! If this Blog is of interest to you, please do sign up for email notifications. Thanks for stopping by. 

You can learn more about hornbills at the following websites.

Hornbill Research Foundation 

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Hornbill Watch