Scarab Beetle 黄金虫（コガネムシ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Scarab beetles are quite prevalent and familiar to people in Japan. Actually, there's a song titled "Scarab beetles are rich." The lyrics are based on the lyricist (Ujo Noguchi)'s childhood memories that cockroaches gather in rich people's houses as they're warm and have food and that at that time, cockroaches were called "kogane mushi," which translates into "scarab beetles" in English😆!

Scarab beetles can be highly destructive to lawn and gardens. The adults feed on foliage and flowers, while their underground larvae damage the root systems of turf grass, ornamental plants, and crops. Scarab beetles, however, are so beautiful and their sleeping posture is funnily acrobatic (scroll down). 

2026/7/12

Sphaerophoria ミナミヒメヒラタアブ（南姫扁虻）

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Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus) is native to North America, came to Japan in around 1920, and can now be found across the country. Actually, the plant is so prevalent as a weed that they're called "binbo gusa" and "binbo giku" in Japanese, which translates into "poor plant" and "poor chrysanthemum" respectively in some areas in Japan. On a Philadelphia fleabane is a tiny hoverfly. It's so tiny but very beautiful. 

2026/7/12

Monk's Cress (Tropaeolum Majus) ナスタチウム/キンレンカ（金蓮花）

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I've been growing herbs recently but this is mainly to use them for cooking but I realize I can enjoy them aesthetically, so I put monk's cress and oregano flowers, and mint in a glass. 

2026/7/12

Small Branded Swift (Pelopidas Mathias) チャバネセセリ（茶羽挵）

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The small branded swift can be seen in east Asia and Oceania. The butterfly resembles the common straight swift very much but the small branded swift has white spots in a circle while the common straight swift (Parnara guttata) has such spots in a straight line. 

2026/7/12

Small Copper (Lycaena Phlaeas) ベニシジミ（紅小灰蝶）

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The small copper (Lycaena phlaeas) flies from March to November in Japan, so it's not unusual to see them but it was my first time to see them, not one but two! Their orange forewings caught my eye. The butterfly's coloration changes slightly across seasons; spring broods are typically brighter while summer ones become darker and more muted. I can't say for sure but one of them seems like a spring brood and the other a summer one. Scroll down to see the two together in a photo.  

2026/7/12

2026/7/12

Water Celery (Oenanthe Javanica) セリ

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The water celery (Oenanthe javanica) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing small white flowers in August. The plant is aromatic and edible in its entirety including the roots. One of my favorite recipes is ohitashi, i.e., boiling and seasoning them with bonito dashi stock and soy sauce.

2026/7/9

2026/7/9

Aromaticus (Plectranthus Amboinicus) アロマティカス

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The aromaticus (Plectranthus amboinicus) is primarily native to Southern and Eastern Africa and has been seen in Japan since the 2000s. I've taken an early morning walk for more than five years and this is my second time to find herbs growing wild on the sidewalk.   

The one I found for the first time was apple mints. I took several stems home and have planted them in a pot. The incredible resilience of herbs always makes me feel motivated and energized. 

2026/7/10

Asian Jumpseed (Persicaria Filiformis) ミズヒキ（水引）

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The Asian Jumpseed (Persicaria filiformis) is native to East, South, and Southeast Asia and can be found across Japan, producing tiny flowers from August to October. The plant has no petals instead has four sepals, of which three are red and the other is white. Its Japanese name is "mizuhiki," i.e., an ancient Japanese artform of knot-tying, most commonly used to decorate Japanese ceremonial envelopes.

2026/7/5

Japanese Bindweed ヒルガオと虫たち

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The Japanese bindweed (Calystegia pubescens) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing pale pink flowers from June to August, which attract a variety of bugs, e.g.,  common straight swift butterflies and a marmalade and other hoverflies, as shown in these pictures.  

2026/7/9

Lysimachia Clethroides (Gooseneck Loosestrife) 丘虎の尾（オカトラノオ）

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The gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) is native to east Asia and can be found across Japan, producing white flowers from June to August. It's edible and used to be eaten in Japan as a famine plant (although it tastes bitter and astringent). The plant's Japanese name is "Okatora no o," which translates into "tiger tail growing on hills," after its flower spikes looking like tiger tails.  

2026/7/5 With a marmalade hoverfly

Ornamental Oregano (Origanum 'Kent Beauty') オレガノケントビューティー

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The ornamental oregano (Origanum 'Kent Beauty') is native to Europe, came to Japan in the late 1990s, and is now grown by many for ornamental purposes. The plant is highly sensitive to humidity, but the subshrub I found grows wild in Central Tokyo, which is humid almost throughout the year. The survivability and resilience of plants often amazes me and this oregano is one of them. 

2026/7/9