Joro spider (Nephila clavata)

At Toucheng Farm, one can usually catch a glimpse of a huge spider, the Joro spider, with its wide web. In English they call it the golden banana spider and in Korea, it is known as a sorceress spider. In Taiwan it is named "man's face spider", due to its head, which has similarity to a man's face.

They pass winter as eggs and scatter as tiny larvae in spring. Females are generally larger (17-25 mm.) than males (7-10 mm.). The adult female has stripes of yellow and dark blue with red towards the rear of the abdomen. During Autumn, males can be seen in female webs for copulation.. After they mate, the female spins an egg sack on a tree, laying 400 - 1500 eggs in a sack, where their life cycle ends by late autumn or early winter.

In Japanese folklore, a legendary creature named Jorogumo, who is actually a spider, can transform itself to a beautiful woman and attracts a man, traps him in her seduction, tie and finally eat him up!

Japanese researchers have genetically modified silkworms with nephila drag lines genes and successfully created a silk thread that is stronger, softer and more durable than conventional silk.

If bitten by this spider, one can feel a local pain and redness with blisters forming, but it resolves within 24 hours, but the bite mark, remains. Its venom is potent, but not lethal to humans.

Next time you see this, take a photo, but make sure you are in a safe distance.!

Thanks to Wikipedia, for the information.

Harvest time

At Toucheng Farm, it's harvest time! Here are some pictures for you to view.

He has to clear up the rice paddy for the next planting season.



After harvest, un-husked rice grains are separated form the hay.

See how a farmer cut those straw and pile them evenly to create this hay-stack!

Isn't it a wonderful background for this picture?

Come to Toucheng Farm, and enjoy with us this exciting moment!

Two Kindergarten schools - Taiwan

Today there were numerous guests at Toucheng Farm. Two kindergarten schools children with their teachers and parents spent their day at the Farm enjoying themselves like feeding the goats, sheep and water buffaloes. They have a close look of the rice paddies and rested at the mud hut, while recalling the days spent with grandma when they were young. What was special? watch the huge Joro spider closer and got a picture of it for a souvenir!

Here are the photos of Chiao Wen Kindergarten School parents and some teachers.

And photos of the Hsiao Tou Ya Kindergarten school children with their parents and teachers:

After the tour around the Farm, they printed some T-shirts or green bags with some leaves of their choice, all picked from the Farm's trees and plants.

What a great day spent at Toucheng Farm!

Next time you, too can enjoy the day with grandma at Toucheng Farm!

2009 English Summer Camp - 3rd batch, July 15 - 19

Toucheng Farm's 2009 English summer camp third batch started last July 15 and will end Sunday, July 19. This time sixty children participated, mostly Taipei residents. There were buses transporting students from and back to Taipei. Some elder and braver one's travel via trains by themselves.

This week's schedule was changed and adjusted due to the weather condition. The heavy rain prevented the children from catching more bugs, but had fun bringing around the nets, in yellow raincoats. Indoor classes were replaced to keep them occupied plus an animated movie at night. Sunday, the last day was sunny, so they fun at they rice paddies replanting rice seedlings with all the costumes.

Fishing was fun, here is Bryan, one of our American teachers with a catch!

For more photos, you may go to our photo album and enjoy all the full view of the whole activity.

Hoping to see you all next year, 2010 English summer camp at Toucheng Farm

Rotary Exchange Students

Some members of the Rotary Exchange students, two from Germany, two from Holland, and four from Taiwan, with their home- parents, visited Toucheng Farm and stayed for a 2 days and 1 night package tour.

Besides kilning sweet potatoes, BBQ party, they also joined the bonfire activity with our 2009 English Summer Campers at night and later witnessed the flying of heavenly lanterns.

Here are some pictures taken while they tour around the Farm while feeding the water buffaloes and picking some passion fruits which they ate on the spot. They also gathered some fresh eggs from the chicken coop and luckily, none was broken.

Toucheng Farm's wild pigs gave birth to a few piglets and they were lucky to watch them as mother pig feeds them!

They have the rare opportunity of tasting wine from the Toucheng Farm Winery. In Germany, a 16 year old can drink wine, so they legally drank to their fill!

And to complete the day, a delicious birthday cake awaits them at lunch time, it was Steven's birthday (in Purple T-shirt.

2009 English Summer Camp - 2nd batch

Toucheng Farm's second batch of 2009 English Summer Camp is in full swing! This time there are seventy seven students participating. They came from different counties of Taiwan: north, south, west. With the amiable and energetic American Teachers, who dare to sleep in class? No one, some boys are naughty at times, but we can manage.

From the morning exercises, to catching bugs or learning the magic skills, there are laughter, smiles and noise all around. English songs, stories, and games keep everyone busy, learning about animals, weather, seasons garden and house. What fun!

Before the Summer Camp, many were strangers to each other, but now they become friends, after playing, sleeping, having fun and eating together for five days and four nights. Very interesting indeed!

We look forward to the Saturday Farewell Party where everyone is dressed in their favorite attire or costume, looking pretty , singing and dancing to our hearts content!

The last batch will be next Wednesday, if you have not enrolled yet, this is your last chance.

Come and have fun with us this Summer at Toucheng Farm!

2009 English Summer Camp - 1st batch

"Your are my sunshine, my only sunshine....you made me happy when skies are grey...." so the song goes...

These are one of the songs sung during the summer camp.

One hundred children form all of Taiwan, participated the first batch of Toucheng Farm"s English Summer Camp this year.
Words cannot describe the joy, warmth, fun, satisfaction etc, etc, sometimes aches, tears, fears, of the children, so here's some photos for all to see.

Hopefully, they learned, felt, understood what was taught during the Camp at the Farm. What is teamwork, caring, trustworthiness, respect, etc, is all about. Plus cherish our lives together with our fellowmen and our environment.

The second batch will start on July 8 - 12, that will be next week!

If you did not join the first group, registration is still open. There is still a third batch, so hurry up! or you'll miss the fun and chance.

Welcome everyone!