Having an idea is great. But if you do nothing about it immediately, it remains just an idea where you will forget it pretty quickly. This is the spirit that prompted me to start this personal website to share my encounters with nature. I do not know where it will lead me to eventually. So, let nature takes its course.

This website went live on 5th July 2007. The original idea was to share the plant pictures taken by me, with their names, arrange in some kind of orders. As it happens that I live in Singapore, most plant pictures are therefore taken in this country. I do add pictures taken from Malaysia and Indonesia where I visited for holidays. This website started with 249 plants and 985 images from my archive. It reaches the 500-plant mark (with 2227 pictures) on 21st April 2008 and crossed the 1000-plant milestone on 31st December 2009. As of this update, the website houses 8674 pictures of 1397 plants in the main plant picture database alone.

Over time, I collected quite a handful of pictures of small or tiny animals as well. In March 2011, I decided to share some of them in another set of database, The Minibeast Observatory.

Starting this website is a combination of my interests --- appreciating nature, taking photos of my encounters and to a lesser extent, designing websites. Writing my own website allows me the convenience of making changes at any time and knowing how the pages relate to each other. This is the only website that I have online. If another website claims to be part of this website, beware!

All photos in this website are taken by me and hence, owned by me.

All the pictures were taken with a standard point-and-shoot digital camera. My first digital camera was a bulky Sony T72 (shown here) acquired in 2003. It has retired since December 2007. Thereafter, I migrated to a Sony DSC-W90. In October 2010, I moved on with my third digital camera.

Providing details of each photo is not possible considering the time involves and my other commitments in life. The narrative (e.g. date) at the side of a photo only refers to that particular photo in display. If you are really keen to know the details of a particular photo, write to me and quote the DSC number of that photo.

Good quality photos of a plant at different stages of its life and plant parts (e.g. flower, leaf, fruit, etc.) are very useful in the identification of a plant. Due to various limitations, the quality of some photos may not be as good as expected. Photos will be replaced with newer ones of better quality whenever they become available. Pictures of new plants or additional photos of existing plants are added from time to time.

I have NO intention to display photos taken by others at this point in time as I prefer to keep this website as a private depository of my own photos.

Taking picture of a plant is like preserving the very moment of its life since it is changing all the time. Generally, we do not see all the features (e.g. flower, fruit, etc.) of a plant at the same time. It takes continuous effort and some luck to be able to gather the complete set of a plant's features. I love to collect, sort and identify the plants from the photos taken -- like solving mystery in life. Sharing these pictures with the world may benefit others and hopefully, allow me to explore potential opportunities.

In the main plant pictorial database, each plant has its own photo deck. The set of pictures in each photo deck may be taken at different time and places.

My knowledge on plants has grown tremendously since I started this website. I am not an expert on plant (for sure, not a botanist) but merely an observer of nature. Plant offers me a good starting point in appreciating nature. When I first started out, I thought naming plant was a no-brainer, especially when one is using the botanical (scientific name). Soon, I realise that there was a whole lot of confusion even in the scientific community with such naming system (as usual, not everyone will agree with everyone). Even if there are rules and guidelines, not everyone follows due to different considerations and opinions.

First, there are synonyms --- several botanists giving different botanical names to the same plant over the years, not knowing others have already named it earlier. Then, you have the hybrids and cultivars --- either as a result of natural selection or human intervention. However, the variation in botanical names is at least manageable versus the common names. When it comes to common names, the situation is simply chaotic -- anyone can give a common name to a plant. Since the botanical naming system is the least confused system, I have arranged the photos in alphabetical order based on the botanical names in the main photo deck.

Good pictorial references for plant identification are lacking, especially for uncommon plants. Narrative on plants such as botanical keys, whereby you refer to books with mainly text (maybe a few photos or drawings) that describe different parts of a plant is not my cup of tea. The terms used in botanical keys are usually meant for botanist. They are pretty foreign to me. I prefer, like most people, pictures of plants. But, not all reference books are aligned or correct --- same plant, same name, same look (picture). Online references can be quite tricky as well --- you see it today, you may not see it tomorrow. Like in any trade, after you dwell long enough in it, you will know some tricks. When there is conflicting information in the name of a plant, I will attempt to share my thoughts as a footnote in the photo deck.

The choice of common names in the website is based on what I think is common enough and what I can find. Though it may be more practical to use common names in some instances, it would be a good practice to always indicate the botanical name as well. I have created a listing of common names in alphabetical order for ease of searching. I have added the Chinese names whenever I can locate one.

Nothing is full proof and errors do creep in at times, especially when my database gets larger over time. If you notice any error and are happy to share your thoughts with me, just drop me a note. I will re-check my information and make the necessary correction. Anyway, plants do not really bother with our naming system (which is arbitrary but important to us). They know who they are and are happy with whom they are. Hence, for mere appreciation of plants and their existence, I am not too picky about the "correct" name since I have the pictures.

If you have a chance to read the sections above, you will know that I own this website and all the materials in this website. You may use or display the photos for non-commercial purpose provided that you place the copyright notice (i.e. © www.NatureLoveYou.sg) next to or on the photo itself (see examples below). Alternatively, you can indicate the source of the photo (i.e. www.NatureLoveYou.sg) at an appropriate location of your article or website.

Whichever way you choose to acknowledge the source, it is a good practice to write to me and provide the following information for my record. Your definition of "non-commercial purpose" may differ from mine.

1. Your name and contact information
2. Which photo(s) you have used or intended to use (indicate the DSC number)
3. Where you have placed or intended to place the photo(s). If use on a website, do provide the URL of the website.
4. The purpose of using the photo(s)

The use or display of my photos for commercial purpose is NOT allowed without first seeking my permission. This includes using my photos in printed publications for commercial purpose or on commercial websites. If you want to use the photos for such purposes, please write to me. I am happy to discuss the terms and conditions with you on their usage.

Using my photos without specifying the source gives others an impression that they belong to you. It is a theft. Unfortunately, this has happened and I have to take the necessary action to make sure that people understand what they are doing. I will not hesitate to take the necessary action to safeguard my rights to my photos.

I will not be responsible for any damage resulting from your visit to my website or use of any information from this website. Do verify the information before using them. A little knowledge can be dangerous at times. Do note that I do not necessary endorse the content in others' websites that I place a link to. Most links are there for your convenience. Similarly, advertisements placed in my website are to generate fund to support the work of this website. I will not be responsible to the outcome of your visit to the advertiser's websites.

If you want to place a link from your website to mine, please make sure that my website does not appear under a frame of your website which may give others an impression that my website content is yours.

I reserve the right to change the conditions on the use of my photos at any time. Please read the updated conditions in this page from time to time. The date when this page is last updated can be found at the bottom of this page.

My website is open for advertisement since I do need to pay for hosting this website and the equipment used in this project. If you are interested to place an advertisement in my website, please write to me for further discussion.

If you have ideas on how the information in my website can be put to better use and in doing so, generate some revenues for me, I will be very happy to explore the ideas further with you.