Chlorophyllum Molybdites (False Parasol or Vomiter😱) 大白唐傘茸（オオシロカラカサタケ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I was so lucky! I found these mushrooms during a morning walk. What am I going to make for dinner? Mushroom omelet, pasta or miso soup😁?   

I was thinking or hoping something like that when finding these mushrooms, which were 10 cm in diameter, appearing out of the blue after the rain. Of course, I didn't pick, just taking pictures of them. I thought that they might be edible, but had no courage(?) to try them.  

And I was right. They're chlorophyllum molybdites or more commonly known as false parasol or vomiter, which are poisonous, causing literally vomiting and diarrhea! Wow😱 One good thing about these mushrooms is that just touching them causes no harm. Phew! I touched them while taking these photos.... 

 

Chlorophyllum molybdites 大白唐傘茸

Oxalis Crassipes Alba (White Wood Sorrel) 白い酢漿草（カタバミ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're oxalis crassipes alba or more commonly known as white wood sorrel blooming at the garden of the Kujokan teahouse in Tokyo National Museum. The white color against the green leaves is so beautiful. 

I visit the museum several times a year, but these days I go there to see netsuke on show indoors and plants and bugs in the garden rather than paintings and artefacts. Sadly for the museum, but luckily for visitors, the museum is quiet and relaxing with few people. If you have a chance to come to Tokyo after the pandemic, you should definitely go there. After enjoying art, you can also enjoy nice Japanese food and sake in Yanaka Ginza district!    

Oxalis crassipes alba 白い酢漿草

Kujokan teachouse in Tokyo National Museum 東京国立博物館の九条館

Cerasus Subhirtella (Miq.) or Winter Cherry 冬桜（十月桜）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

You must be thinking that these're pictures of cherry blossoms in the spring evening😁 Wrong! These're the blossoms of cerasus subhirtella (miq.) in the early morning yesterday, i.e., on September 27! Yes, the cherry trees produce blossoms in autumn, winter and spring, and that's why they're called winter cherry or October cherry.

I saw these October cherry trees blooming last time this April, and since then I've been observing the trees, wondering when I can see their blossoms again. And here they are!! Their season has come!! 

Winter cherry 冬桜

Cerasus subhirtella (miq.) 十月桜

Netsuke "Humpty Dumpty" 根付「ハンプティ・ダンプティ」

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This 3 cm long porcelain is netsuke "Humpty Dumpty" on show at Tokyo National Museum, made by Lynn Richardson.

I didn't understand why this Humpty Dumpty netsuke was broken into three parts until reading the nursery rhyme below. I knew about Humpty and Dumpty but had thought that Lewis Carroll created the character for "Alice Through the Looking-Glass."

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

We don't understand the real meaning of something without the background information, and that's why I enjoy writing for this blog, which makes me do research on not only Humpty Dumpty but also flowers and bugs, deepening my understanding of things around me.

A netsuke is a small carved ornament, especially of ivory or wood, worn as part of Japanese traditional dress as a toggle by which an article may be attached to the sash of a kimono (Source: Lexico). If you love netsuke, see this list to see dozens of netsuke items!

Netsuke "Humpty Dumpty" 根付「ハンプティ・ダンプティ」

Lespedeza Japonica Bailey cv. Versicolor (Variegated Bush Clover) 染め分け萩（ソメワケハギ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is lespedeza japonica Bailey cv. Versicolor or variegated bush clover at Tokyo National Museum. I've seen bush clovers with pink flowers, and I knew bush clovers have white flowers. I also knew that a peach and a Japanese apricot tree have red and white flowers on the same tree. But I didn't know that bush clovers can also have pink and white flowers on the same tree!!

It was my first visit to the museum for the last six months. I hadn't gone out for nearly half a year except for an early morning walk until yesterday, hoping that the Covid-19 situation would be better this autumn, but obviously it's not. Covid-19 positive cases in Japan/Tokyo "officially" have decreased, but severe cases are still more than the peak of the fourth wave. The reason is that the number of "known" cases may have decreased, but total cases including hidden ones must've increased, resulting in the increased severe cases and the collapse of the medical system in Tokyo and other areas. 

Japan is planning to lift the state of emergency on October 1 because of the "apparent" decrease in positive cases, but this means people, whether vaccinated or not, will start going out to enjoy eating and drinking. That's why I went to the museum before that happens. And sadly, I won't likely be able to go out for a while or don't know when I'll be able to visit the museum next time.      

Lespedeza japonica Bailey cv. Versicolor 染め分け萩

   

Variegated bush clover ソメワケハギ

Tricyrtis Formosana (Toad Lily) 台湾杜鵑草（タイワンホトトギス）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are tricyrtis formosana flowers or more commonly known as Taiwanese toad lilies. They didn't have flowers a few days ago, so they must've bloomed in the last couple of days while I was taking different routes for a morning walk.

Taiwanese toad lilies are different from Japanese ones. The Taiwanese one's stem branches into several stems and each stem has a flower at the top while the Japanese one doesn't have flowers at the top of the stem but at the axil. 

The plant is called toad lily because it has spots on the petals looking like a toad's skin, but that's different from how Japanese people see toad lilies. In Japan, they're called "lesser cuckoo" because, to Japanese people, the spots seem like the chest plumage of this small bird.

Tricyrtis formosana 台湾杜鵑草

Taiwanese toad lily タイワンホトトギス

Ilex Rotunda (Kurogane Holly) 黒鉄黐（クロガネモチ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the berries of ilex rotunda or commonly called the Kurogane holly. I've been seeing these berries changing from green to red for the last month. Compare those in the 1st and 2nd photos. 

The tree produces tiny white flowers in May and June, and I pass by the tree almost everyday, so I must've seen the flowers, but I don't remember seeing them at all😅. 

Kurogane holly is known to bring luck because its Japanese name "Kuroganemochi" is pronounced similarly to "Kuro ga nai kanemochi," which means "a rich person with no hardship."  

September 23 - Ilex rotunda 黒鉄黐

August 28 - Kurogane holly クロガネモチ

Elaeocarpus Sylvestris (Woodland Elaeocarpus) ホルトノキ

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the fruits of elaeocarpus sylvestris or more commonly known as the woodland elaeocarpus tree. The buds and flowers (which look like cleaning mops😆) were both tiny, downward facing in July, but the egg shaped fruits were all upward facing in early August (2nd photo). Now, however, the fruits are downward facing again (1st photo) maybe because they're chubbier!! I LOVE💗 CHUBBY things!!

The tree is called "Portugal tree" in Japan. If you're interested in why, read this post😉

Elaeocarpus sylvestris fruits downward facing on September 20　
9月20日　ホルトノキの実は上向き

Elaeocarpus sylvestris fruits upward facing in early August
8月上旬　ホルトノキの実は上向き 

Quercus Myrsinifolia (Bamboo-Leaf Oak) Are Growing! 白樫（シラカシ）の実が成長しています！

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Compare the acorns in the 1st and 2nd photos! See? They've got longer! 

These are the acorns of quercus myrsinifolia or more commonly known as bamboo-leaf oak. They both look like tiny spinning tops, but the acorns in the 2nd photo (early September) were chubbier, i.e., the length was shorter than the diameter, while in late September (1st photo) they're a little skinnier. It's like a chubby baby growing up to be a skinnier toddler, then like my husband! 

My husband was very chubby but grew up to be very skinny. So far so good, but after that, he'd gained weight and was officially diagnosed as being "fat😆." Back then, he was eating potato chips, ice cream, and chocolates every night after dinner😂. Now, however, thanks to the great effort of his lovely wife (who's me😁), he's lost not only weight but love handles👍! 

He'll have a medical check-up in a week, the first check-up after getting back to normal weight. He's been nervous for the last week. He knows he needs to change or will be FORCED😱 to change his diet depending on the checkup result...    

The bamboo-leaf oak acorns are still matcha green, but will be brown ultimately. I'm already looking forward to seeing them!    

 Quercus myrsinifolia in mid-September　9月半ばの白樫の実

Early September　9月上旬

Ternstroemia Gymnanthera (Japanese Ternstroemia) Again! また木斛（モッコク）です！

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the fruits of ternstroemia gymnanthera or more commonly known as the Japanese ternstroemia or Japanese cleyera tree. I wrote about its tiny fist-shaped buds and fragrant white flowers in late June and the fruit a few days ago, but seeing the fruit getting redder day by day over the last several days, I've decided to write about the fruit again😆!! Now I look forward to seeing what the cracked red fruits in the 2nd photo will be like in the next few days and weeks😊!

Ternstroemia gymnanthera on September 21  木斛の実 - 9月21日

Japanese ternstroemia モッコク

Phytolacca Americana (Pokeweed) 洋種山牛蒡（ヨウシュヤマゴボウ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is phytolacca americana, also known as American pokeweed. I've been observing this plant for the last month, enjoying the tiny white flowers and the green, purple and black berries as well as the bright pink stems. I love this plant because it's so colorful!! 

When writing about the cute white flowers last month, however, I learned that all parts of the plant, i.e., the rootstocks, leaves, stems, and ripe fruit, are toxic, which made me very nervous this time, not to touch any part of this...😆

Phytolacca Americana 洋種山牛蒡

Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) - Real or Agate? 柘榴（ザクロ） 本物？瑪瑙？

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The first photo shows a real punica granatum or more commonly known as pomegranate. I took the picture on September 17. The second photo is of "Pomegranate" made from agate and ruby in China in the 19th century. The sculpture was on show two years ago at Tokyo National Museum. The agate-made pomegranate is really like the real one, isn't it? 

I've been observing the pomegranate for the last six months, taking the last picture when it was still green in July. I went there today (September 19) again, just finding it gone....  

Pomegranate on September 17　柘榴（9月17日）

"Pomegranate" made of agate and ruby 瑪瑙柘榴

Ternstroemia Gymnanthera (Japanese Ternstroemia) 木斛（モッコク）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the fruits of ternstroemia gymnanthera, or more commonly the Japanese ternstroemia or Japanese cleyera tree. The trees had tiny fist-shaped buds and fragrant white flowers in late June, and now have these tiny apple-shaped fruits, whose red color against the deep green leaves is so beautiful! And that's why Japanese people call the tree "the king of garden trees"😊! Take a look at the first and second photos to compare the color change of the fruits for the last month from green to red!

Ternstroemia gymnanthera mid-September 木斛の実 - 9月半ば

Mid-August 8月半ば

Callicarpa Dichotoma (Early Amethyst) 小紫（コムラサキ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the berries of callicarpa dichotoma or more commonly known as early amethyst. I enjoyed the tiny pink flowers in July and now these tiny round berries!! It's fun to see flowers. It's fun to see berries. But it's more fun to see the process of changes, such as buds opening to flowers or the color of berries getting deeper. Look at the 2nd to 4th photos to enjoy the color change of these early amethyst berries from pale green to bright pink over the last three weeks! 

The plant's called "smaller purple" in Japanese because it has similar but "smaller purple" berries than Japanese beautyberry, which is in Japanese called "Murasaki Shikibu" or "Lady Purple," i.e., the name of a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court in the Heian period and author of "The Tale of Genji," the Japanese novel about the life and romances of an aristocrat Hikaru Genji. 

Callicarpa dichotoma 小紫

September 17

A Baby Conifer Cone 赤ちゃん松かさ

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I wrote about green female conifer cones in August, and I thought at that time I learned everything about the cones, but I was wrong. Now I've learned that the pine tree produces male and female flowers (or strobili) and that the female flowers turn cones like the green ones I saw in August (or in the 3rd photo). In other words, all pine cones are female!   

So, you're looking at the growing process of pine cones from a newborn baby girl cone (1st photo), to cones like toddlers (2nd photo), then green young cones (3rd photo)!      

A newborn baby girl flower (or strobilus) 生まれたての雌花

Red/White Spider Lilies 赤と白の彼岸花

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're really like spiders! These are lycoris radiata and lycoris albiflora or more commonly known as red and white spider lilies. They're so beautiful, so elegant and like spiders, reminding me of the real spider I saw two weeks ago hiding on a web. 

Spider lilies tell Japanese people the arrival of autumn. The Japanese name means "the flower of autumnal equinoctial week." And something related to autumn, not only spider lilies but a cirrocumulus mackerel sky, always makes me feel lonely. I don't know why. Maybe that's because of what's missing in me or that's just what I am? I need to find out...   

Lycoris radiata or red spider lily 彼岸花

Lycoris albiflora or white spider lily 白い曼珠沙華

Fruit of Cornus Florida (Flowering Dogwood) 花水木（ハナミズキ）の実

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The fruits of Cornus florida or more commonly known as flowering dogwood have turned red for the last two weeks. Compare the first two pictures! 

The fruits are so red, so beautiful, and look tasty, but they're toxic unlike edible Cornus kousa or kousa dogwood fruit. I sometimes confused the flowers of these two i.e., Cornus florida or flowering dogwood and Cornus kousa or kousa dogwood, but not anymore😉 thanks to the stark difference in the fruit shape.

Cornus florida in mid-September 9月半ばの花水木

September 1

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

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These tiny (about 5 mm) pale yellow flowers are osmanthus fragrans or more commonly known as sweet osmanthus. They were so fragrant that I took off the face mask to smell the flowers, of course after making sure that nobody was around me😊 

Sweet osmanthus reminds me of my late paternal grandma, who loved fragrant flowers. She was independent and unique. She decided to marry her husband (i.e., my grandpa) because a fortune teller was against the marriage. If she were still alive, I would ask why and how the marriage was😁     

Does the ant like the scent, too? アリも香りが好き？

Kudzu (Japanese Arrowroot) 葛（クズ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The plant had many large vibrant green leaves, which made me wonder what it was. Then, it suddenly produced pink flowers, which surprised me, but what surprised me more was that it was kudzu or more commonly known as Japanese arrowroot.

I was surprised😲 because I didn't expect kudzu to be growing in my neighborhood in Tokyo. Kudzu is an ingredient of kudzu powder, the main ingredient of "kudzu mochi dumplings," a jelly-like local sweet in Yoshino, a southern part of the Nara prefecture! Kudzu mochi are so yummy and my favorite sweet😋

There is, however, a sad surprise, too. Kudzu is called "the vine that ate the South," designated as an invasive species in the US😂

By the way, in Japan, "kudzu" or "葛" in Chinese character* is pronounced the same as the following terms:

• くず (hiragana character), meaning waste, trash and bastard
• クズ (katakana character), meaning waste, trash and bastard
• 屑 (Chinese character*), meaning waste, trash and bastard

As a great fan of "kudzu mochi" dumplings, I feel sad that "kudzu" can mean "waste and trash, bastard"!😂

* The Japanese language uses three characters: hiragana character, katakana character and Chinese character.

Kudzu 葛

Netsuke in Shape of Clustered Masks 面寄牙彫根付

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This 3 cm long sculpture is netsuke in the shape of clustered masks on show at Tokyo National Museum this March. It was carved by Jugyoku from ivory and is so colorful and cute!

The green mask represents an oni or a kind of ogre in Japanese folklore and the white one Okame (or Otafuku), i.e., an always smiling Japanese woman who brings happiness. I'm pretty sure of these, but about the orange one, I have no idea and couldn't find any information.

A netsuke is a small carved ornament, especially of ivory or wood, worn as part of Japanese traditional dress as a toggle by which an article may be attached to the sash of a kimono (Source: Lexico). If you love netsuke, see this list to see more than 40 netsuke items!

Netsuke in shape of clustered masks by Jugyoku from ivory 面寄牙彫根付 寿玉作 象牙

Fruit of Cornus Kousa (Kousa Dogwood) 山法師（ヤマボウシ）の実

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This tiny red bumpy ball of 1 or 2 cm in diameter is the fruit of cornus kousa or more commonly kousa dogwood. I'd watched it for nearly a month, looking forward to seeing other green fruits turn red. But before that, I found this only red fruit gone the day after taking the first photo. And that reminded me of a funny tragedy😆 a long time ago. 

My mom grew a cactus in the garden of our house. She took good care of it, looking forward to seeing it have small red flowers. One day she found a bud. She was excited, but a few days later she found it gone. She was sad but on the following day, she found another bud. Again she was excited, but finding it gone again on the following day. Such mysterious disappearances happened several times. We talked about it but didn't find any reasonable answers. 

One day, we saw our neighbors, a little sister Hana, who was 3 or 4 years old, and her baby brother Taro, who was still in a diaper, playing together in their garden next to ours. Then, we were astonished to see Taro toddling across the garden and coming straight to the cactus, carefully observing it and picking the buds!! We exchanged glances, bursting into laughter😄 The mystery solved. We put the cactus pod on a high shelf.  

Cornus kousa fruit 山法師の実

Lespedeza (Bush Clover) 萩（ハギ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These pink flowers are lespedeza or more commonly known as bush clovers. The flowers and leaves were shaking in the late summer or early autumn wind.

In September last year, I went to Mukojima Hykkaen Garden in Tokyo, enjoying a beautiful lespedeza tunnel. I decided to come again then, expecting the Covid-19 situation to get better in a year. But obviously I was wrong. Japan is still under the state of emergency, deciding to extend it until at least the end of September. The healthcare system has collapsed, leaving many Covid-19 patients at home with no treatment. If I caught Covid-19 and had pneumonia now, I would be abandoned at home.  

Some say that Japanese politicians lack leadership to tackle the situation, but that's wrong. Japanese politicians, for example a former prime minister Shinzo Abe, exercise "leadership" to get away with wrongdoings. In the financial scandal over a state-owned land sale of more than seven million dollars, Abe exercised strong "leadership(?)" by making government officials tamper with official documents (which led to a suicide of one of them). And what troubles me most is that this is Japanese people's fault, i.e., they choose such politicians themselves. I love this country, but sometimes I hate people's naivety.  

Lespedeza 萩

Bush clovers ハギ

Skunk Vine Fruit 屁糞葛（ヘクソカズラ）は実もカワイイ！

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the fruits of paederia foetida or more commonly known as skunk vine. A few weeks ago, the fruits were still fresh green (3rd and 5th photos) and so tiny, i.e., 5 mm in diameter, but now have turned dark green and brown! 

I pass by the place where they grow almost everyday, and have taken pictures of the flower many times, but it was not until recently that I noticed the vine has such pretty tiny fruits! I love skunk vines, not only the flower but also fruit!

Paederia foetida fruit 屁糞葛の実

Clerodendrum Bungei (Rose Glory Bower) 牡丹臭木（ボタンクサギ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a flower of clerodendrum bungei or commonly known as rose glory bower. This is in the same family as that of clerodendrum trichotomum or harlequin glorybower I wrote about yesterday.

I published a post about rose glory bower last July, too, but at that time, the flower was in full bloom and round like a peony (which is included in its Japanese name "smelly peony plant"). But now the flower season is almost over, so it's like a head with a tree growing out of it!

Clerodendrum bungei 牡丹臭木

Clerodendrum Trichotomum (Harlequin Glorybower) 臭木（クサギ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the fruits of clerodendrum trichotomum or more commonly known as harlequin glorybower. I enjoyed the beautiful white flowers in July and didn't expect at that time such white flowers to turn out such colorful fruits. The blue green and black fruits held by star-shaped pink calyces are so cute and pretty, reminding me of Mickey Mouse (I don't know why though)!!!

Clerodendrum trichotomum 臭木

Harlequin glorybower クサギ

Quercus Myrsinifolia (Bamboo-Leaf Oak) 白樫（シラカシ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the acorns are quercus myrsinifolia or more commonly known as bamboo-leaf oak. They're 1 cm in diameter, looking like tiny spinning tops! 

In Japan, children spun tops especially during the New Year's holiday. The lyrics of "New Year's day," i.e., a Japanese nursery rhyme, also include "Children spin tops during the New Year's holiday♬," so I assumed that tops were Japanese toys. I was surprised that they originated all over the world independently (Source: Wikipedia).    

Acorns are all called "donguri" in Japan regardless of the tree type, so bamboo-leaf oak acorns and lithocarpus edulis or Japanese stone oak acorns are both called "donguri" in Japan. According to images on the internet, bamboo-leaf oak acorns will be longer to ultimately look like Japanese stone oak acorns. I look forward to seeing their growth.  

Acorns of quercus myrsinifolia 白樫の実

Netsuke "Daoist Immortal and Child" 根付「仙人と唐子」

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This 4 cm boxwood sculpture is netsuke "Sennin and Karako (meaning 'Daoist immortal and child')" carved by Seiho Azuma. It was on show this March at Tokyo National Museum. A netsuke is a small carved ornament, especially of ivory or wood, worn as part of Japanese traditional dress as a toggle by which an article may be attached to the sash of a kimono (Source: Lexico). 

Daoist immortals have attained immortality through Daoist practice and I'm not irrelevant to them. First, I'm a great fan of Fukurokuju, one such Daoist immortal and the god of wisdom, luck, longevity, wealth and happiness in Japan. He's characterized by the size of his head almost as large as the size of his whole body. I like him so much that I've written about several netsuke of Fukurokuju. If you're interested in Fukurokuju netsuke, read this post. 

Secondly, I like sweet autumn clematis or "Daoist immortal plant" in Japanese because of its fluffy achene, looking like the beard of Daoist immortals. I also wrote about the flower a few days ago.  

Thirdly, I'm also a great fan of Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892 - 1927), who must have liked Daoist immortals so much that he wrote two short stories both entitled "Daoist immortal." Ryunosuke Akutagawa killed himself at the age of 35 but is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story." The Akutagawa Prize, i.e., Japan's premier literary award, is named after him. It's so sad and ironic that someone who's interested in immortal persons so much killed himself that young. 

 

If you love netsuke, see this list to see more than 40 netsuke!

"Daoist immortal and child" by Seiho Azuma, boxwood「仙人と唐子」東声方作 黄楊

Bitter Gourd "Get Me Outta Here!!" ゴーヤ「出してくれ～！」

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a bitter gourd imprisoned for a crime it didn't commit, ending up like this because nobody cared but me. I was watching it wondering when it would be rescued... And on the day after I took these pictures, it was gone... I don't know if it was released after it'd been found not guilty or sentenced to being eaten😁

Last year I learned that ripe orange gourds are edible including the red seeds and even jelly like stuff around the seeds. I've wanted to try them but haven't had the opportunity because I can't find orange bitter gourds sold anywhere. I can buy green ones to make them ripe, but I can't wait, always stir-frying them with pork and eggs or deep-frying and putting them into Japanese broth because bitter gourds are yummy! I may need to learn to be more patient😅

Ripe bitter gourd 完熟ゴーヤ

Clematis Terniflora (Sweet Autumn Clematis) 仙人草（センニンソウ）

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are the flowers of clematis terniflora or more commonly known as sweet autumn clematis. The thin white petals with long stamens and a cricket are so beautiful and cute! I first mistook the flowers for white gaura because white gaura flowers were shaking in the wind nearby, and both are white and have long stamens, but the petal shapes are different. 

Sweet autumn clematis has several Japanese names, including "hermit plant" and "plant that horses don't eat." The name "hermit plant" was given because its achene is fluffy, looking like a hermit's beard while the name "plant that horses don't eat" because of its toxicity. 

Clematis terniflora with a cricket 仙人草と興梠

A Spider🕷 on a Web 蜘蛛🕷と巣

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Can you see what this is? If not in the first photo, try the second and the third (taken from the left and right sides) to closely see something on this white fluffy thing among green leaves. 

Taking photos of bugs (spiders aren't bugs though) is different from taking plant pictures. Capturing the moment is more difficult when taking bug pictures. So when I found the spider, being afraid that it'd be gone soon, I (not a photographer though😁) kept pressing the shutter button no matter how many mosquito bites I got😂!! But it was worthwhile. Next day, the spider was gone. 

From above 上から

From the left side - can you see its legs? 左から