Parnara Guttata on a Hypericum flower オトギリソウの上に一文字挵（イチモンジセセリ）

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

I thought at first that was a moth, but its wings were closed, which is a usual characteristic of butterflies. I googled and found it was a Parnara guttata or more commonly a common straight swift on a flower of Hypericum erectum. The butterfly's cute big eyes look like squirrels'!!

But the plant's Japanese name "otogiriso" more attracted my attention, which means "plant killing younger brother"😱. According to Wikipedia, the plant was named after Japanese folklore about a man killing his younger brother leaking the secret of his medicine made using the plant. As the folklore suggests, in Japan, the stems and leaves of Hypericum erectum were used as folk medicine to stop bleeding and for other purposes.   

Parnara Guttata on a Hypericum flower 弟切草の上に一文字挵

A common straight swift on a Hypericum
オトギリソウの上にイチモンジセセリ

Oxyopes Sertatus Latrelle on a Chinese Cucumber Flower 黄烏瓜の上にササグモ

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

I know I've written about Trichosanthes kirilowii (or Chinese cucumber) already twice on June 23 and June 28, but who can ignore such a beautiful spider! This is an Oxyopes sertatus Latrelle on a Chinese cucumber flower. Its pale orange color is so beautiful!😊 

Oxyopes sertatus Latrelle on a Chinese cucumber flower 黄烏瓜の上にササグモ

Aulacophora Nigripennis on a Chinese Cucumber Flower 黄烏瓜の上にクロウリハムシ

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

I wrote about a flower of Trichosanthes kirilowii or more commonly known as Chinese cucumber in my neighborhood on June 23. So, this post focuses on not the flower but an Aulacophora nigripennis on it I saw not only this time but also on June 23.

But something bothered me. Why are they always on Chinese cucumber flowers? The reason is in its Japanese name "kuro uriha mushi," meaning "black gourd-leaf bug"!! The bug loves gourds!!😆😊 (I do, too!!)

Aulacophora nigripennis on Chinese cucumber 黄烏瓜の上のクロウリハムシ

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 Clerodendrum bungei or more commonly known as rose glory bower. Its bright pink buds are so pretty (1st photo) but the pale pink flowers (2nd and 3rd photos) are also beautiful! So, what do the in-betweens look like? The answer is the 4th photo, i.e., only one flower is open with the remaining being still buds.

The plant usually produces flowers in late summer although it's still June but it's understandable. The rainy season, which started in Tokyo in early June as usual, is expected to end this week, three weeks earlier than usual. This means a terrible Japanese summer, which is hot and humid, has started😂!! It was 35°C (i.e., 95°F) yesterday!!  

Buds of Clerodendrum bungei 牡丹臭木のツボミ

Flowers of rose glory bower ボタンクサギの花

Adventures of a Roly Poly Climbing Up a Bushkiller ダンゴムシの冒険 - 藪枯らしを登る

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

This is a roly poly on Causonis japonica or commonly known as bushkiller. The plant is so invasive that most Japanese sites about it on the internet are about how to get rid of it. 

Today's focus is, however as you see in these photos, not bushkiller but a roly poly on the plant as tall as 1 meter. A roly poly is about 1 cm long, so 1 meter for roly polies is 150 to 200 meters high for human beings. Can you imagine climbing up a tree as 150 to 200 meters high? I would never even try😆 

You made it! よく頑張りました！ 

A roly poly on Causonis japonica 藪枯らしとダンゴ虫

Trichosanthes Kirilowii (Chinese Cucumber) 黄烏瓜（キカラスウリ）

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

It was in front of an office building in my neighborhood. This is a flower of Trichosanthes kirilowii or more commonly known as Chinese cucumber and Chinese snake gourd. I first saw the plant last year in Koishikawa Botanical Garden, but didn't expect to find it near my house and in such an ordinary place.  

Chinese cucumbers produce yellow round gourds, which look and taste like melons, in September or October. I already look forward to picking, oops😆, seeing the gourds!😊

Trichosanthes kirilowii　黄烏瓜

6/23 A baby gourd of Chinese cucumber　赤ちゃんキカラスウリ

Hydrangea Changing from Pale Green to White then to Pale Blue 薄緑から白そして薄青になる紫陽花

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

It's rainy season in Japan and various hydrangeas are in full bloom across the country. These are mophead hydrangeas and one of my favorite because of the color change from pale green to white then to pale blue. If you're interested in the color change from late May to late June or the blooms in various colors and shapes, read the following posts, too!

• Hydrangea Macrophylla 'Ayesha'
• Hydrangea Annabelle
• Purple Mophead Hydrangea
• Red Mophead Hydrangea
• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia)
• Pale and Bright Pink Lacecap Hydrangeas
• Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors
• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

Light grayish blue hydrangea 薄いグレーブルーの紫陽花

Late June 6月下旬

Pretty & Gross - Galls on Japanese Snowbell😱 キモカワ - エゴノネコアシ😱

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

Something is pretty and GROSS, and Japanese snowbell is one such example. In May, it produces beautiful snow white flowers but a month later, it produces not only beautiful pale green fruits but also something looking like flower buds. Don't be deceived, however. They're galls of Ceratovacuna nekoashi.

A gall is an abnormal, localized outgrowth or swelling of plant tissue caused by infection from bacteria, fungi, viruses, and nematodes or irritation by insects and mites (Britannica). And galls on Japanese snowbell trees are caused by APHIDS, meaning these green things which look like some flower buds contain many many aphids😱! If I hadn't known this, I must've touched them!

Galls on Japanese snowbell trees are called "Cat paws on Japanese snowbell" in Japanese and you can see why. The galls look like cat paws, but the name, which doesn't mention the important fact that they aren't cat paws or flowers but contain bugs😂, bothers me...

Ceratovacuna nekoashi エゴノネコアシ

A gall on Styrax japonicus  エゴノネコアシ

Ilex Crenata (Japanese Holly) 犬黄楊（イヌツゲ）

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

These are the female flowers of ilex crenata or more commonly known as the Japanese holly or box-leaved holly. I saw its beautiful black berries last winter near the Imperial Palace, but I didn't know at that time that it produces such beautiful tiny flowers. 

Japanese hollies are dioecious, i.e., having separate male and female plants, so they have male and female flowers. I was able to find the female flowers, but couldn't find male ones...

Ilex crenata female flowers 犬黄楊の雌花

Commelina Communis (Asiatic Dayflower) 露草（ツユクサ）

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

These are the blue (1st photo) and purple (2nd photo) flowers of Commelina communis, commonly known as the Asiatic dayflower. I'd seen its blue flowers, but not purple ones, so at home I was surprised to find that Asiatic dayflower produces flowers in not only blue and purple but white and pink, which I've been looking for since then!

Blue Commelina communis　青の露草

Purple Asiatic dayflower 紫のツユクサ

Drone Beetle - Be Quiet. I'm Sleeping! カナブン - 就寝中につき静かにしてください

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

A few weeks ago, I saw a picture of a bee with half of its body inside a red snapdragon flower on Instagram (@zaungruen). That was so beautiful and cute! And today, I ran into a drone beetle in the same posture inside a dandelion flower! The thing is that I couldn't tell at first if it was dead or alive. I watched it for a while and saw it moved! Yes, it was alive and sleeping😆. I took several shots and quietly walked away, saying in my mind, "Have a good sleep😴"

A drone beetle sleeping on a dandelion flower タンポポの花で就寝中のカナブン

Hydrangea Macrophylla 'Ayesha' 渦紫陽花（ウズアジサイ）

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

The rainy season has started in most of Japan and various hydrangeas are in full bloom in many places. And this is one of my favorite, hydrangea macrophylla 'Ayesha'! Scroll down to enjoy the color change of the bloom from late May to mid June!

If you love hydrangeas, read the following posts, too!

• Hydrangea Annabelle
• Purple Mophead Hydrangea
• Red Mophead Hydrangea
• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia)
• Pale and Bright Pink Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors
• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

6/16  Hydrangea macrophylla 'Ayesha' 渦紫陽花

6/16  Ayesha hydrangea ウズアジサイ

Generational Change of Hydrangea Annabelle 紫陽花アナベルの世代交代

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

These are hydrangeas Anabelle blooming this year (the white one) and last year (the brown one). Flowers usually die and are gone after blooming but some die but remain as they are until next year. When I first saw the two blooms in mid-May, the brown one was much bigger than the baby one (last photo). A generational change occurs to not only human beings but also hydrangeas.    

If you love hydrangeas, read the following posts, too!

• Purple Mophead Hydrangea
• Red Mophead Hydrangea
• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia)
• Pale and Bright Pink Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors
• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

6/14  Hydrangea Annabelle (from side) 紫陽花アナベル（横から）

6/14 From above 上から 

6/14 Gigantic! 巨大！

Erythrina Crista-Galli (Cockspur Coral Tree) 亜米利加梯梧（アメリカデイゴ）

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

They're the flowers of Erythrina crista-galli or more commonly known as the cockspur coral tree. To me, they look like the beak and wattle of a rooster, so I was surprised to know that its English name is after cockerels spurs. What do you think? Do the flowers look like roosters spurs or their beaks and wattles? 

Erythrina crista-galli 亜米利加梯梧

Cockspur coral tree アメリカデイゴ

Hungry Caterpillar😊 腹ペコ芋虫

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

This is a REAL hungry caterpillar😊 Although slow, it was actually eating a leaf! And I realized something. I haven't read The Very Hungry Caterpillar!! I rushed home, logged into my library account, reserved the book, and was surprised to find that I was the 27th on the waiting list😂!!

Spiranthes Sinensis (Chinese Spiranthes) 捩花（ネジバナ）

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

They're Spiranthes sinensis or more commonly Chinese spiranthes and the top three Spiranthes sinensis I've ever seen. They're so handsome and independent, aren't they? Plants attract us by not only their color but also shape.  

Spiranthes sinensis 捩花

A Caterpillar Hanging from a Plant 芋虫がぶらーん

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

I take a morning walk every day unless it rains and while walking I look down to find tiny but beautiful plants. Then I found this. Can you see it? If not, look at the second and third photos. I couldn't find what it was, but it's beautiful and funny, isn't it?! I want to be floating in the air like this!

Can you see it? 分かります？

Purple Mophead Hydrangea 紫の紫陽花

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

The rainy season started on 6 June in Tokyo, and colorful hydrangeas are in full bloom in many places in my neighborhood. This is one such place full of the blooms in purple shades. If you love hydrangeas, read the following posts, too!

• Red Mophead Hydrangea
• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia)
• Pale and Bright Pink Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors
• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

Purple mophead hydrangea 紫の紫陽花

"White?" Rosy Evening-Primrose (Oenothera Rosea) 白花夕化粧（シロバナユウゲショウ）？

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

It was like finding a four-leaf clover! This is "white" Oenothera rosea, also known as "white" rosy evening-primrose. I added double quotation marks because its flowers are usually or should be pink as the ones I wrote in late April, but it sometimes produces white flowers (mutation?) and in Japan, Oenothera rosea with white flowers are called "white" rosy evening-primrose. It's so confusing, but it's also exciting, isn't it! And that's why I can't stop looking down while walking to find something like this!!

"White" rosy evening-primrose 白花夕化粧？

"White" Oenothera rosea シロバナユウゲショウ？

Red Mophead Hydrangea 赤の紫陽花

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

Although the rainy season hasn't started yet in Tokyo (which is a bit later than usual), colorful hydrangeas are blooming in many places in my neighborhood, and this is one of them, deep hot pink hydrangeas. I love the blooms especially because of the contrast between the pink sepals (which look like petals) and their pale blue center parts.

If you love hydrangeas, read the following posts, too!

• Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia)
• Pale and Bright Pink Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors
• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

Red mophead hydrangea　赤の紫陽花

Triodanis Biflora (Small Venus' Looking-Glass) 雛桔梗草（ヒナキキョウソウ）

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

In early May, I wrote about Triodanis perfoliata or clasping Venus' looking-glass. And this is Triodanis biflora or small Venus' looking-glass. Unlike the bigger one's (i.e., clasping Venus' looking-glass) flowers, which are usually "clasping" as its name suggests, small Venus' looking-glass' flowers are usually open. 

Triodanis biflora 雛桔梗草

Small Venus' looking-glass ヒナキキョウソウ

Small Venus' looking-glass ヒナキキョウソウ

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Quercifolia) 柏葉紫陽花（カシワバアジサイ）

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

Hydrangeas are beautiful in various ways. Some are beautiful for their color and the others for their shape, like Hydrangea quercifolia, commonly known as oakleaf hydrangea. You can see how it has grown (i.e., its shape has changed) by scrolling down to the last photo taken on May 10! 

If you love hydrangeas, read the following posts, too!

• Pale and Bright Pink Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors
• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

6/2 Oakleaf hydrangea 柏葉紫陽花

5/29 Hydrangea quercifolia カシワバアジサイ

Pale and Bright Pink Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis) 薄ピンクと明るいピンクの額紫陽花

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

The rainy season will start soon in Japan, and that means the hydrangea season will, too (or has already started!) These are pale and bright pink hydrangeas in my neighborhood. 

The head of a hydrangea flower mainly consists of sepals (i.e., the parts looking like petals) and florets (i.e., the tiny round things surrounded by the sepals), and when it comes to lacecap hydrangeas, I'm usually attracted by their florets, like the florets changing from green to blue then to pink and the florets changing from green to red, but for these two types of pink hydrangeas, their sepals, especially the pale and translucent pink ones, caught my eye. If you love hydrangeas, read the following posts, too!

• Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors
• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

Pale pink lacecap hydrangea 薄ピンク

Bright pink lacecap hydrangea 明るいピンク

Mophead Hydrangeas in Various Colors 色とりどりの紫陽花

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

The rainy season will start soon in Japan, and that means the hydrangea season will, too (or the hydrangea season has already started!). They're Hydrangea macrophylla or more commonly mophead hydrangeas in my neighborhood in various colors. Mophead hydrangeas are the most popular cultivar in Japan. I've enjoyed their beauty since my childhood, so I was surprised to learn that they were bred from lacecap hydrangea (i.e., Hydrangea macrophylla f. normalis). I thought the other way round.

If you're interested in lacecap hydrangeas, read the following posts!

• Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis)
• Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink

Hydrangea macrophylla アジサイ

Mophead hydrangeas 紫陽花