Weigela Hortensis 谷空木（タニウツギ）

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The weigela (Weigela hortensis) is native to Japan and can be found across the country, flowering generally from May to July. The pink flowers surrounded by its green leaves are so beautiful.   

Despite such pretty pink color, weigela branches and stems were used in Japan to make chopsticks for a post-cremation ritual where family members pick up and transfer bone fragments from a cremation tray into an urn using such chopsticks. For that, weigela is still avoided in some areas. Wow, I've lived in Japan for many years but didn't know that.

Weigela can produce white flowers (which I've never seen) and its autumn leaves are as gorgeous as the flowers! (Scroll down!)

2025/4/29

2025/4/29

Linden Arrowwood (Viburnum Dilatatum) ガマズミ（莢蒾）

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Linden arrowwood (Viburnum dilatatum) is native to Eastern Asia and can be found across Japan. It produces tiny white flowers in clusters from April to June and also clusters of red drupes in autumn. The drupes are too sour to eat in the beginning but become sweeter towards late autumn. 

The linden arrowwood means that "love is stronger than death" in Japanese floriography.

2026/4/30

Blue Hydrangea Serrata (Tea of Heaven "Mikata-Yae") 美方八重（ミカタヤエ）

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Mikata-yae hydrangeas (Hydrangea serrata (Thunb. ex Murr.) Ser. "Mikata-yae"), early bloomers, are now in full bloom. The buds looked like green stars at the beginning of May, then have turned blue, and are still hanging to pink or purple. Mikata-yae hydrangeas are said to be one of the most beautiful blue hydrangeas. 

2025/5/18

2025/5/18

2025/5/18

2025/5/18

Hamilton's Spindletree (Euonymus Hamiltonianus) マユミ（檀）

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Some plants bring you happiness through the year and Hamilton's spindletree (Euonymus hamiltonianus) is one of them. The plant is native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. It produces tiny cream flowers from May to June and fruits in autumn. The fruits are four-lobed and green at the beginning, then turn pale pink, and crack to show seeds with red arils in autumn.

A good thing about photographing plants is to make people more talkative. When I was photographing the fruits in September, two women approached me asking what they were. I said they were the fruits of Hamilton's spindletree but the women insisted they couldn't be fruits but buds to flower soon. It was fun talking with strangers about little things.

2026/4/24

2025/5/9

Japanese Red Maple (Acer Pycnanthum) ハナノキ（花之木）

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Japanese red maple trees (Acer pycnanthum) are native to Japan. Their Japanese name is "hananoki," translating to "flower tree," which is too general, isn't it? The tree is named as such after its deep red flowers standing out because they're produced before green leaves are in early spring when no other flowers are seen. This makes sense. I first found the flowers because the red color stood out in early March.  

2024/4/30

Daylily with Pointed Petals (Hemerocallis) ヘメロカリス

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Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are native to East Asia and can be found across Japan. Daylilies are diverse in terms of color and petal shape. The daylilies in these photos have pointed petals while those in this post have round petals.   

Daylilies are "wasure gusa" in Japanese, which translates into "plant to forget things," meaning that you can forget bad things if you carry them. On the other hand, forget-me-nots are "wasurena gusa" in Japanese." The only difference (i.e., the "na" part), however, creates a huge difference in flower meanings in Japan. Forget-me-nots represents true love whereas daylilies flirtation and forgotten love.  

2026/4/29

Fragrant Evening-Primrose (Oenothera Stricta) マツヨイグサ（待宵草）

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Fragrant evening-primrose (Oenothera stricta) is native to South America, was imported to Japan in the late 19th century, and can now be found across Japan. This evening-primrose resembles common evening-primrose (Oenothera biennis) very much with one easy-to-tell difference, i.e., fragrant evening primroses turn orange as they wither. The other flower in the pictures, which has turned orange, told me these were not common but fragrant evening primroses. 

2026/4/29

A Small Pile of Roly Polies ダンゴムシ団子

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What the hell are they doing? I approached them and observed for a while, just finding nothing. The pile tilted right, left, forward, and backward, but that was that. Back home, I did research, finding that roly-polies (pill bugs) gather in large numbers mainly to find moisture, food, and shelter because they breathe through gills and require high humidity to survive. So, they gather not to play but to survive. Knowledge changes your perception. 

2026/4/29

Burning Bush (Euonymus Alatus) ニシキギ（錦木）

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The burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is native to China, Korea, and Japan and can be found across Japan. The burning bush autumn leaves are very beautiful but because the bush grows to only 1 to 1.5 meter high, the beauty is often disregarded among maple and other taller trees. But the beauty of the burning bush is not just it. If you are closer to it, you can find small red arils with one to four vivid orange seeds inside. 

As the plant's name suggests, its leaves look "burning." The burning bush is named "nishiki gi" in Japanese, which translates into "brocade tree," after such a beautiful red color of the leaves like brocade. 

In May and June, you can also enjoy its tiny but beautiful yellowish green flowers (scroll down). 

2024/11/22

Flowers of Camphor Tree (Camphora Officinarum) 楠（クスノキ）

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Camphor trees (Camphora officinarum) are native to Asia, including Japan, so can be found across Japan. The tree produces tiny cream flowers in May and June. 

The biggest camphor tree in Japan is in Kamou town, Aira city, Kagoshima prefecture. Its trunk girth is 24.2m and the tree has been designated as a natural monument. Because of its gigantic size, it's advised against growing camphor trees in home gardens.     

2026/4/28

Asian Lady Beetle (Harmonia Axyridis) ナミテントウ（並天道）

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Asian lady beetles (Harmonia axyridis) are native to Asia, so can be found across Japan. As one of the most variable species, you can't identify the beetle just based on the number or color of spots. The beetle is generally beneficial, eating aphids but also known as one of the most invasive insects or voracious predators, eating other ladybugs😱. Despite such aggressiveness, Asian lady beetles with two orange spots are generally viewed as symbols of good luck, happiness, and prosperity in Japan. Yippee! 

The beetle is cute but the larva of the Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) looks a little creepy, but it's also a beneficial insect voraciously eating aphids. Like father, like son, isn't it?

2026/4/28