Wax-Leaf Privet (Ligustrum Japonicum) ネズミモチ（鼠糯）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Small oval shaped green fruits caught my eye. This is a wax-leaf privet tree (Ligustrum japonicum). The fruit, which is used in herbal medicine, will turn black soon. The tree is called "nezumi mochi," meaning "mouse mochi" because the fruit looks like mouse droppings and the leaves resemble those of the mochi tree or the elegance female holly (Ilex integra).

Osmanthus Fragrans (Sweet Osmanthus) 金木犀（キンモクセイ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The shrub had many buds (2nd and 3rd photos) but it was not until I found these half open tiny orange flowers that I realized what they were. They're sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans). When open, they should be like in the fifth and following photos. They didn't smell yet but should become fragrant soon.    

2024/10/14

Chinese Quince (Pseudocydonia Sinensis) カリン（花梨）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Autumn is the season of harvest. I found these Chinese quince fruits scattered on the ground. I saw them growing for the last couple of months but didn't realize they were Chinese quince. This may be because the tree has too many fruits as shown in the third photo. The good news is that no one seems interested in the fruits while I am to make jam from them. Supply and demand match😋.

If you're interested in pink Chinese quince flowers, scroll down.   

2024/10/12

2024/10/12

2024/10/12

Mascarene Island Leaf Flower (Phyllanthus Tenellus) ナガエコミカンソウ（長柄小蜜柑草）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I often wondered what they were. They're small and ball shaped, placed on the leaves in such an orderly manner as shown in the second photo. But I always forgot about them when writing posts for the blog. Larger and more colorful plants eclipse such tiny plants. They're Mascarene Island leaf flowers (Phyllanthus tenellus). The thing is whether these ball shaped things are buds or fruits, which I can't tell. The Mascarene Island leaf flower produces flowers from June to November. But time will tell. I'll keep observing these tiny balls😄.  

Mascarene Island leaf flower (Phyllanthus tenellus)　ナガエコミカンソウ（長柄小蜜柑草）

Chinese Fringetree (Chionanthus Retusus) ヒトツバタゴ（一つ葉タゴ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are fruits of a Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus). Many plants fruit in autumn but their black color caught my eye. The tree produces white flowers in May, which I missed. The Chinese fringetree has male and hermaphrodite trees, the same as the Japanese ternstroemia (Ternstroemia gymnanthera). The fruits of Chinese fringetree are inedible and are avoided even by birds according to the information on the internet. Well then, who eats them? 

Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus)　ヒトツバタゴ（一つ葉タゴ）

Plains Cupid (Luthrodes Pandava) クロマダラソテツシジミ（黒斑蘇鉄小灰蝶）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

On October 7, I published the post below but on October 10, an Instagram follower of mine told me that the butterfly was not a pale blue grass but plains cupid. I googled and confirmed she was correct. 

 
2024/10/7
While looking for another plant, I found a pale grass blue butterfly (Pseudozizeeria maha) on an Eastern valerian flower (Patrinia scabiosifolia). The butterfly was resting on the flower, which gave me a chance to photograph it, but it was kept rotating so I had to revolve around it (because otherwise the butterfly was like in the third and fourth photos). The Eastern valerian or golden lace is very common and one of the seven flowers of autumn in Japan with Lespedeza, Japanese pampas grass, kudzu, fringed pink, fragrant eupatorium, and balloon flower. The pale grass blue is male. The upper side of the wings was pale blue. 

Plains cupid (Luthrodes pandava)　クロマダラソテツシジミ（黒斑蘇鉄小灰蝶）

Ginkgo Nut ギンナン（銀杏）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are ginkgo nuts. They smell terrible but taste good, so it's very popular to eat the nuts in Japan as a seasonal delicacy. It's easy to cook. Put the nuts (with shell) in a frying pan and heat the pan over high heat in a frying pan until the shell turns brown. If they start popping, cover the pan. When the nuts start cracking, add salt and shake the pan until all crack. I haven't cooked the nuts myself but remember Mom dry roasting them for Dad. The point is grilled gingko nuts go so well with hot sake🍶. (Note that raw ginkgo nuts are toxic.) 

Gingko nuts　ギンナン（銀杏）

Climbing Fig (Ficus Pumila) オオイタビ（大木蓮子）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They look like figs but their cuboid shape (3rd photo) differs from usual figs. These are climbing figs (Ficus pumila). Usual figs nearby are all gone when they get ripe while nobody seems to be interested in climbing figs although they're also edible. A woman passing by me said that the fruits were strewn on the ground every autumn. That was on September 8.

Since then, I've been observing the fruits grow and change from green to purple like in the first picture. And something has been bothering me or testing me. The demon inside me whispers to me, "I know you want to try this. No one is watching. Why don't you take one?" The angel inside me tells me, "No one but you is watching, isn't it?" So far the angel has won but who knows what will happen tomorrow? I really really want to have a bite to see what it tastes like. Does it taste the same as a fig does? Climbing figs have been torturing me.... 

October 9, 2024 Climbing fig (Ficus pumila) オオイタビ（大木蓮子）

September 8, 2024

The shape differs from usual figs　イチジクとは形が違う

Japanese Chestnut (Castanea Crenata) 日本グリ（和栗）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

A week ago, I mistook Japanese horse chestnuts for chestnuts. I noticed the mistake because what looked like chestnuts I found on a street had no burs. And today, I found a chestnut tree with still green chestnuts covered in burs. It was my first time to see unripe green chestnuts. 

There are the following four types of chestnuts according to Adachi Otoemon, a confectionery shop in Kyoto: 

• Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata)
• Western chestnut (Castanea sativa)
• Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima)
• American chestnut (Castanea dentata)

All of them are sweet. Now I'm thinking about what you're thinking about ....😋😋

Chestnut (Castanea crenata)　クリ（栗）

Caterpillar Family イモムシファミリー？

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I found a caterpillar on a street (3rd photo) and then found another in thick grass by the street and one after another in the grass as shown in these photos. I didn't count their number but am pretty sure that there were dozens. I wondered why these caterpillars loved this place that much but I'm quite certain that people passing by me also wondered why I crunched down and what I was taking photos of.   

The first caterpillar I found　最初に見つけたイモムシ

Pink Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia Pseudocamellia) ピンクの夏椿（ナツツバキ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

First I was surprised to find these camellia like flowers on the street I walk down every morning and then a common straight swift landing on one of the flowers. These flowers are Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia). As part of its scientific name "pseudocamellia" suggests, the Japanese stewartia is related to camellias and therefore called natsu tsubaki in Japan, which means summer camellia. The camellia is evergreen while the Japanese stewartia is deciduous. 

A common straight swift on a pink Japanese stewartia　ピンクの夏椿とイチモンジセセリ