Food webs in parklands
Discover the hidden network of life in Singapore's parklands
Last updated 15 June 2026
Food web in Bedok Terrace Playground
Producers
Yellow Flame Trees are commonly seen in parklands and along roadsides, with a broad, shady canopy, abundant yellow flowers and thin, orange-brown seed pods. Pollinators regularly visit this tree during the flowering season, while the seed pods are consumed by birds, mostly parkaeets.
Blood Flowers are a staple in many butterfly gardens as they are the host plant for Glassy, Common and Plain Tiger butterflies, and flower all year long, providing nectar for butterflies and both pollen and nectar for bees.
Consumers
Rose-ringed Parakeets form large, noisy flocks that can be seen in a variety of urban green areas. They eat a variety of fruits and seed pods, using their powerful beak and flexible claws to peel open the fruits to eat flesh or seeds directly.
Plantain Squirrels are one of the most common urban mammals in Singapore, and feed on not only fruits, but also the bark and sap of trees.
Asian Honey Bees are often seen foraging on flowers during the day. They collect pollen to feed their larvae, while the adult bees drink nectar.
Four-lined Tree Frogs have adapted to urban areas, and have a loud call that sounds like a quack. They are ambush predators, waiting for unsuspecting insects to wander close enough for them to strike.
Changeable Lizards are regularly found basking on branches or on fences in many urban areas. They are arboreal, often hunting among bushes and trees for small insects.
Oriental Whip Snakes look like lime-green vines, camouflaging themselves amongst plants to ambush smaller animals like frogs and lizards.
Plain Tiger butterflies rely on plants from the milkweed family to feed their caterpillars. Plants from the milkweed family are toxic, making both the adult butterfly and caterpillar less palatable, but they still get predated upon occasionally. Adult butterflies will drink nectar from most flowers, and are able to reach into deep, tube-like flowers with their long proboscis.
Apex predators
Changeable Hawk-eagles are often seen soaring above urban areas, and hunt a wide variety of animals including smaller birds, mammals and even small reptiles, including snakes. They grab their prey with their sharp claws before using their hooked beaks to tear meat to swallow whole.
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