Password Keeper@Kowloon Park

Here are 8 little-known facts about Kowloon Park, the " Guardian of the Code." Parents can take the opportunity to introduce them to these secrets if their children are interested: 1. Alexandrine Parrot
2. Tree sparrow
2. Red-whiskered Bulbul
4. Black-crowned Night Heron
5. Stone Wall Tree
6. Bauhinia
7. Camphor tree
8. Ficus microcarpa on Park Lane
**Scientific information provided by the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society



After finding/introducing the park guardians above, you'll receive an English letter code. Once you've collected all the letter codes, try guessing the secret riddle on the homepage. The answer is at the end of this page.

1. Alexandrine Parrot (P) Characteristics : Approximately 42 cm in length, characterized by a red collar, red shoulders, and yellow eyes. Vegetarian: They feed on fruits, seeds, and nectar.

Influenced by the trend of keeping birds in cages, parrots in Hong Kong are mostly released birds or escaped caged birds. Hong Kong parrots are geographically distributed; the Central District of Hong Kong Island has white cockatoos, while Kowloon Park has Alexandrine parrots and red-collared green parrots. Their flight pattern resembles a cross. These are introduced species and are considered resident birds that have been reintroduced to the wild.

Alexandrine parrots and red-collared green parrots love to perch on buildings near the pool; see if you can spot them! 2. Tree Sparrow (L) Omnivorous birds; during spring and summer, when insects are active and plants bear less fruit, their main food is insects. In autumn, when various plants and crops bear fruit, their main food consists of plant seeds and fruits. In recent years, sparrows living in cities have fully adapted to urban life and have learned to find food discarded by humans.

3. Red-whiskered Bulbul (A) The Red-whiskered Bulbul, also known as the "High-crowned Bulbul," is a common bird in Hong Kong. It has red spots on both sides of its ears and a distinctive red patch on its rump. It likes to flit among trees and feeds on fruits and insects.

4. Night Heron (Y) Despite having "night" in its name, this medium-sized heron is often active during the day as well. It has yellow legs, and adults have a dark green crown and back, with contrasting grey and white wings and belly. During the breeding season, it has two to three long, thin white ornamental feathers on the back of its head. When hunting, it tucks its neck in and stands by the water's edge, waiting for an opportunity to feed.

5.Stonewall Tree(E)

Stonewall trees are characterized by their twining growth habit, allowing them to firmly grasp and take root on the surface of vertical stone walls. They adapt to this harsh environment, growing into large trees that beautify the landscape. The main species include Ficus microcarpa, Ficus microcarpa var. chinensis, Ficus microcarpa var. xanthina, and Ficus macrocarpa var. macrocarpa.

These stone walls are constructed using a traditional Chinese masonry method, creating various types of retaining walls to provide platforms and stabilize disturbed slopes. Due to the numerous joints between the stones and the presence of soil and groundwater seeping behind the walls, plants can thrive, allowing stone wall trees to take root and grow on the vertical surfaces of the retaining walls. Unfortunately, the traditional stone wall construction techniques have been lost, and no new stone walls can be built using these methods. Therefore, stone wall trees have become a unique cultural heritage, deserving and requiring our proper management.

Tree roots growing on the stone wall surface also expand their growth range, extending the roots responsible for absorbing nutrients to the soil at the base or top of the stone wall to draw more water and nutrients needed for growth. Roots on the stone wall surface also merge where they overlap, forming a unique root network that grips the stone wall firmly. Some tree species develop lignified aerial roots that, when in contact with the soil, become supporting roots, providing additional support and making the tree on the stone wall even more stable.

6. Bauhinia (V)

The Bauhinia purpurea, first discovered on Hong Kong Island, was chosen as the regional emblem due to its beautiful flowers. Research indicates that the Bauhinia purpurea may be a hybrid of Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia variegata, thus its seeds cannot develop normally, hence it is also known as the sterile tree. Because it cannot reproduce naturally, artificial propagation is required by grafting branches of the Bauhinia purpurea onto the trunks of other Bauhinia species. Careful observation will reveal grafting marks on the trunks of Bauhinia purpurea trees, and sometimes a single Bauhinia purpurea tree will simultaneously produce flowers of other Bauhinia species at lower levels.

7. Camphor tree (O)

Camphor trees contain camphor, an excellent insect repellent.

Insect repellent: Camphor tree leaves and trunks are rich in camphor oil, the scent of which many insects dislike, thus preventing them from borer food. In the past, people used this property of camphor wood to make wooden chests and wardrobes (camphor wood bars), or to make camphor balls to place in wardrobes to repel insects. With the development of technology, the insect repellent balls are now artificially synthesized.

A food source for animals: Many insects are afraid of the smell of camphor trees, but a few lepidopteran insects, such as the camphor silkworm moth and the blue swallowtail butterfly, are not afraid of the smell of camphor oil. Their larvae feed on camphor leaves, and if you look closely, you may find camphor silkworm moth pupae and blue swallowtail butterfly larvae on camphor trees.

8. Ficus microcarpa 'Narrow-leaved' (L) on Park Lane A century ago, it was a rural area with dense foliage. When the Governor of Nathan Road knew that Kowloon would develop, he imitated European city design when building the road, planting trees on both sides of the main road. It is estimated that nearly 200 banyan trees were planted from Tsim Sha Tsui to Yau Ma Tei. In the 1950s, Kowloon developed rapidly, and the two rows of trees on the roadside gradually gave way to shops. However, the biggest mistake was made in 1975 when Queen Elizabeth II visited Hong Kong. A legislator said that the exposed tree roots on Nathan Road were ugly, so a one-meter-high stone embankment was built and the tree stumps were piled up with mud.

The fig (Ficus microcarpa) is one of the most common native trees in Hong Kong, providing shade and wind protection, as well as a valuable habitat for birds. Its fruit also serves as food for many wild animals, such as the light-vented bulbul, red-billed leiothrix, and fruit bats. Growing in the air, its aerial roots absorb moisture and also function as respirators. If these aerial roots extend into the soil and provide support, they become prop roots.

The "fruit" of the cryptic fig tree is also called a "cryptic fruit," meaning a fruit that conceals its flower. The trunk or branches of the banyan tree are often covered with numerous small, round "fruits." These cryptic fruits are the receptacles of the banyan tree; the flowers are hidden inside the "fruit." Because the banyan flower is hidden inside the receptacle, isolated from the outside world, butterflies, bees, or birds cannot pollinate it. The responsibility of reproduction falls entirely to tiny fig wasps.

Fig wasps belong to the order Hymenoptera, and their entire lives are inseparable from figs. From hatching, growth, pupation, emergence, to reproduction, they all remain inside the fig. Male wasps, in particular, live their entire lives inside the fig, while females leave the fig where they were born to lay their eggs in other figs. Because male wasps never leave the fig until death, they do not need to fly; their wings have degenerated.

***Answer: LOVE PLAY***

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