This is a blue-tailed forest hawk (Orthetrum triangulare melania). The dragonfly can be found across Japan from June to September. Its blue gray body is so beautiful that I wanted to photograph it from above and side, but couldn't. That's a big difference from photographing plants, which don't move unless it's windy so you can come back the following day but which also makes the moment more memorable.
Blue-Tailed Forest Hawk (Orthetrum Triangulare Melania) オオシオカラトンボ（大塩辛蜻蛉）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
This is a blue-tailed forest hawk (Orthetrum triangulare melania). The dragonfly can be found across Japan from June to September. Its blue gray body is so beautiful that I wanted to photograph it from above and side, but couldn't. That's a big difference from photographing plants, which don't move unless it's windy so you can come back the following day but which also makes the moment more memorable.
This is a blue-tailed forest hawk (Orthetrum triangulare melania). The dragonfly can be found across Japan from June to September. Its blue gray body is so beautiful that I wanted to photograph it from above and side, but couldn't. That's a big difference from photographing plants, which don't move unless it's windy so you can come back the following day but which also makes the moment more memorable.
Plane Tree (Platanus) プラタナス/スズカケノキ（鈴懸の木）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Tiny, cream and red things scattered on the ground caught my eye. They're ribbon-shaped (so cute!), making me look up and find their source, plane trees. These tiny things are their flowers. The plane tree is native to the Northern Hemisphere and quite large. I've seen London plane trees, but saw plane trees for the first time.
Tiny, cream and red things scattered on the ground caught my eye. They're ribbon-shaped (so cute!), making me look up and find their source, plane trees. These tiny things are their flowers. The plane tree is native to the Northern Hemisphere and quite large. I've seen London plane trees, but saw plane trees for the first time.
The plane tree is called "suzukake no ki" in Japanese, which translates to "kasaya tree," after the tree with hanging flowers and fruits looking like "kasaya," clothing worn by Buddhist monks.
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| 2025/6/30 |
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| 2025/6/30 |
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| 2025/6/30 |
Chinese Cucumber and Pumpkin Beetle 黄烏瓜と黒瓜葉虫
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
You see Chinese cucumbers (Trichosanthes kirilowii) and then you see pumpkin beetles (Aulacophora nigripennis) on them. The Chinese cucumber is dioecious, flowering from June to September and fruiting from August to October. The fruits, which are green at first and then turn yellow, are edible but not tasty. Someone says on the internet that he would never eat it unless famine comes😆.
Pumpkin beetles are harmful but their tininess, agility and color contrast between orange and black never fails to bring me a smile.
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| 2025/6/29 |
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| 2025/6/29 |
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| 2025/6/29 |
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| 2025/6/29 |
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| 2025/6/29 |
Coppertips (Crocosmia) 姫檜扇水仙（ヒメヒオウギスイセン）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Their bright orange was so vivid, catching my eye. They're Coppertips (Crocosmia) or montbretias. They (or more specifically their parents) are native to South Africa but can be found now across Japan and because of their hardiness, i.e., invasiveness, their growth is prohibited in some prefectures in Japan.
In Japanese, they're called "hime hiogi suisen," which translates to "princess blackberry lily narcissus" because of the resemblance of their leaves to those of blackberry lilies and their bulbs to those of narcissus. The term "hime," which means princess, is used to describe their smallness. Logical in a way but complicated!
Their bright orange was so vivid, catching my eye. They're Coppertips (Crocosmia) or montbretias. They (or more specifically their parents) are native to South Africa but can be found now across Japan and because of their hardiness, i.e., invasiveness, their growth is prohibited in some prefectures in Japan.
In Japanese, they're called "hime hiogi suisen," which translates to "princess blackberry lily narcissus" because of the resemblance of their leaves to those of blackberry lilies and their bulbs to those of narcissus. The term "hime," which means princess, is used to describe their smallness. Logical in a way but complicated!
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| 2025/6/27 |
Robber Fly (Asilidae) ムシヒキアブ（虫引虻）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
This is a robber fly or assassin fly (Asilidae). As suggested by the name, robber flies attack and eat mainly other insects, even wasps. Some websites say the robber fly is one of the most powerful predatory insects. This robber fly, however, didn't show any sign of such aggressiveness while I was taking these photos, just resting on a leaf.
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| 2025/6/26 |
Blue Dawn Flower ノアサガオ（野朝顔）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are blue dawn flowers or blue morning glories (Ipomoea indica). They're morning glories but different from usual ones (e.g., Ipomoea nil), flowering in not only summer but autumn. The photos below are taken from June to November.
These are blue dawn flowers or blue morning glories (Ipomoea indica). They're morning glories but different from usual ones (e.g., Ipomoea nil), flowering in not only summer but autumn. The photos below are taken from June to November.
Blue morning glories are larger, about 10 cm in diameter. They're hardy or in other words invasive and for that, they're designated as an invasive plant in Japan and other countries.
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| 2025/6/19 |
Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) ザクロ（柘榴）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are photos of pomegranate flowers and fruits. The flowers always cheer me up with their bright orange while making me chuckle with their unique shape after petals fall off, which looks like an octopus sausage, i.e., a sausage cut to look like an octopus, often seen in children’s Bento lunches in Japan. BTW, octopuses have no legs but only arms.
These are photos of pomegranate flowers and fruits. The flowers always cheer me up with their bright orange while making me chuckle with their unique shape after petals fall off, which looks like an octopus sausage, i.e., a sausage cut to look like an octopus, often seen in children’s Bento lunches in Japan. BTW, octopuses have no legs but only arms.
If you've never seen a sculpture of a pomegranate fruit made of agate and ruby, read this post! You should be surprised by how real it looks!
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| 2025/6/8 |
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| 2025/6/8 |
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| 2025/5/29 |
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| 2025/6/24 |
Annabelle Hydrangea (Hydrangea Arborescens 'Annabelle') アナベル
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are photos of Annabelle hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') from May to August. Annabelle hydrangeas are late bloomers, changing color from lime green to white. Below are the shots of various hydrangeas. Hope you enjoy them!
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Ayesha' (Popcorn hydrangea)
These are photos of Annabelle hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') from May to August. Annabelle hydrangeas are late bloomers, changing color from lime green to white. Below are the shots of various hydrangeas. Hope you enjoy them!
Hydrangea changing from pale green to white then to pale blue
Hydrangea blooming all year round (Hydrangea serrata var. yesoensis f. cuspidata cv.)
Hydrangea blooming all year round (Hydrangea serrata var. yesoensis f. cuspidata cv.)
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| 2025/5/3 |
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| 2025/5/16 |
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| 2025/5/18 |
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| 2025/5/23 |
Trumpet Vine (Campsis Radicans) アメリカノウゼンカズラ
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are flowers of trumpet vine (Campsis radicans). They're native to eastern North America, so they're called "amerika nozen kazura" in Japanese, which translates to "American trumpet vine." They resemble Chinese trumpet vine very much but have longer and thinner flower tubes than the Chinese counterparts.
These are flowers of trumpet vine (Campsis radicans). They're native to eastern North America, so they're called "amerika nozen kazura" in Japanese, which translates to "American trumpet vine." They resemble Chinese trumpet vine very much but have longer and thinner flower tubes than the Chinese counterparts.
The phrase contained in the Japanese name "nouzen kazura" means "vine blooming towards the sky." The bright orange flowers were literally blooming towards the sky!!
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| 2025/6/20 |
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| 2024/7/24 |
Chinese Trumpet Vine (Campsis Grandiflora) ノウゼンカズラ（凌霄花）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are Chinese trumpet vines (Campsis grandiflora). They're native to China, coming to Japan in as early as the Heian period (794 to 1185) and used as kigo for summer. (A kigo is a word or phrase associated with a particular season in haiku or Japanese poetry.)
These are Chinese trumpet vines (Campsis grandiflora). They're native to China, coming to Japan in as early as the Heian period (794 to 1185) and used as kigo for summer. (A kigo is a word or phrase associated with a particular season in haiku or Japanese poetry.)
Flowers of Chinese trumpet vine (Campsis grandiflora) resemble those of American trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) very much. Both are orange and shaped like trumpets, but are still distinctly different in the length of the flower tube. Chinese ones have shorter and thicker flower tubes than the American counterparts.
The phrase contained in the Japanese name "nouzen kazura" means "vine blooming towards the sky." The bright orange flowers were literally blooming towards the sky!!
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| 2025/6/22 |
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| 2025/6/22 |
Carolina Horsenettle (Solanum Carolinense) ワルナスビ（悪茄子）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are flowers of the Carolina horsenettle (Solanum carolinense). The plant can be found across Japan and is known to be harmful.
The Carolina horsenettle's Japanese name is "waru nasubi," which translates to "rogue eggplant," which should be justifiable. The plant is poisonous in its entirety with thorns that would prick you if you try to remove it and it's in the same family as the eggplant (i.e., Solanaceae). Considering its other English names "radical weed," "apple of Sodom," "devil's tomato," (sadly) no one would disagree the Carolina horsenettle is ROGUE.
Despite such a bad perception, however, it produces beautiful flowers from June to September and pretty fruits, which look like kumquats (or cherry tomatoes), from July to November (last two photos) although again they're toxic. We shouldn't be fooled by appearances.
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| 2025/6/20 |
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| 2025/6/20 |
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| 2024/6/3 |
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Blue-Tailed Forest Hawk (Orthetrum Triangulare Melania) オオシオカラトンボ（大塩辛蜻蛉）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 This is a blue-tailed forest hawk (Orthetrum triangulare melania). The dragonfly can be found across Japan from June to Septe...
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