Glimpsing Nature in the City

Introduction:

The wildlife in Hong Kong is beautiful and even somewhat familiar, but there isn't a ton in the city. In the New Territories, there is a lot of foliage and plant life, but in the downtown Central area, there is a jungle of concrete and skyscrapers. My university has a tranquility garden for relaxing in nature to make up for the lack of green space in most of the city.

What does this creature or plant look like?:

I have two for this week: a hibiscus plant and a leaf bug that has been climbing the steps to my apartment. A hibiscus is a colorful flower with a large bloom. It can be a variety of colors including pink, orange, red, white, yellow or purple. The leaf bug is a bug that actually looks like a leaf!

How did I feel when I saw it?:

While the hibiscus plant is not exclusive to Hong Kong, it has a very special place in my heart. When given my Chinese name in college, my teacher named me: 林佳蓉 (Línjiāróng). Lín is my family name because it sounds like my English last name Limburg. 佳蓉 (jiāróng) is the name given to me by my teacher. It means "beautiful hibiscus." It made me very happy to see the hibiscus flowers and I was reminded of where my journey began.

The bug scared me a bit, though! I thought it was a leaf until I got closer and then I got very nervous.

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