Buddleja Lindleyana Fortune 唐藤空木（トウフジウツギ）

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

This is Lindley's butterfly bush (Buddleja lindleyana Fortune) in the Imperial Palace East Garden. I thought this was a bush clover at first because of the color, but the flower shape was different. 

Buddleja lindleyana fortune　唐藤空木

Buddleja lindleyana fortune　トウフジウツギ

Koelreuteria Paniculata (Golden Rain Tree) 木患子（モクゲンジ）

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

This is a golden rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata) in the Imperial Palace East Garden. You can find the tree beautiful from a distance as it has many small yellow flowers, but when approaching it, you would be surprised to see the beautiful contrast between the yellow petals and the bright orange center (2nd and 3rd photos)!

A golden tree produces male and hermaphroditic flowers. These flowers are male.  

  

Koelreuteria paniculata　木患子

Golden rain tree　モクゲンジ

Helwingia Japonica (Japanese Helwingia) 花筏（ハナイカダ）

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

This is a leaf of Japanese helwingia (Helwingia japonica) with a fruit on it. The small black fruit isn't just on the leaf but it (and the flower) grows from the center of the leaf midrib. And that's why its Japanese name means "flower (on a) boat." People likened the leaf to a boat and the flower to a boatman. The tree is in the Imperial Palace East Garden. The garden has many beautiful trees and plants and the admission is free.

Japanese Helwingia　花筏

Helwingia Japonica　ハナイカダ

Bougainvillea ブーゲンビリア（筏葛）

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

This is Bougainvillea. As Cornus kousa and Cornus florida, the bright deep pink parts that look like petals are bracts and the tiny, pale yellow part is the flower. The Bougainvillea in this place didn't produce many flowers last year. I'm happy for the tree😊. 

Bougainvillea　ブーゲンビリア

Bougainvillea　筏葛

Magnolia Grandiflora (Southern Magnolia) 泰山木（タイサンボク）

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

This is Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia, at Tennoji temple in Yanaka, Tokyo. I wrote about Magnolia grandiflora 'Exmouth' a week ago, but I can't tell the difference between this magnolia (i.e., with no 'Exmouth') and Magnolia grandiflora 'Exmouth.' 

Tennoji temple is between Ueno and Yanaka, a good route for a walk. You can enjoy art (i.e., several national museums), books (i.e., International Library of Children's Literature), temples (i.e., Kaneiji temple and the above mentioned Tennoji temple), and last but not least Yanaka Ginza or a commercial district where you can enjoy beer🍺, sake🍶, and traditional Japanese foods at tachinomiya, i.e., standing bars. 

Magnolia grandiflora (southern magnolia)　泰山木

Bird's-Foot Trefoil (Lotus Corniculatus) 都草（ミヤコグサ）

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

"Don't worry, I'm not crying," said the flower😁. These are bird's-foot trefoils (Lotus corniculatus). Yellow flowers are everywhere from late winter to early summer, but I'd never seen bird's-foot trefoils. 

By the way, "Don't worry, I'm not crying" is a parody of a Japanese comic Tonikaku's catchphrase "Don't worry, I'm wearing" for his performance on Britain's Got Talent. Because of his appearance in the show, Tonikaku is now popular again in Japan.  

Bird's-foot trefoil　都草

Lotus corniculatus　ミヤコグサ

Magnolia Grandiflora 'Exmouth' (Southern Magnolia) 細葉泰山木（ホソバタイサンボク）

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

This is Magnolia grandiflora 'Exmouth' or more commonly known as southern magnolia. As magnolias usually bear flowers high up on a tree, I was very happy to see a flower lower than my height and be able to photograph this elegantly blooming white magnolia that closely!! 

Southern magnolia is one of the last blooming magnolias. I saw other magnolias, such as Magnolia figo (banana shrub) and Magnolia denudata (yulan magnolia), this March and April.  

Magnolia grandiflora 'Exmouth'　細葉泰山木

Southern magnolia　ホソバタイサンボク

Coprinopsis Lagopus (Hare’s Foot Inkcap)? 粗柄一夜茸（ザラエノヒトヨタケ）？

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

These are Coprinopsis lagopus or more commonly known as hare’s foot inkcap mushrooms (or I think so😉). At first, I didn't notice them as when finding them, I was looking for colorful flowers, but something caught my eye and I turned around and found these translucent mushrooms. Mushrooms usually attract me for their shape but hare’s foot inkcap mushrooms intrigue me with their color, i.e., translucency. 

Coprinopsis lagopus?　粗柄一夜茸？

Hare’s foot inkcap mushroom?　ザラエノヒトヨタケ？

Green Inchworm on Pink Coneflower エキナセアと尺取虫

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

This is a pink coneflower (Echinacea). I usually don't photograph gorgeous flowers like this, but something green on it caught my eye. Can you see it? If not, take a look at the 2nd and 3rd photos! Yes! There's a green inchworm on it! I observed it for a while but I couldn't tell if it was still asleep or eating breakfast. 

Pink coneflower　エキナセア

Red Mophead Hydrangea 赤い紫陽花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are mophead hydrangeas. Their bright deep pink/red sepals with a pale blue center (can you see?) are so beautiful. 

The color of hydrangeas depends on the pH level of the soil with higher acidity levels resulting in blue flowers and alkaline soil producing pink flowers, which means that the soil there is alkaline. By the way, do you know that the human body is designed to keep the blood pH within a narrow alkaline range? Does it mean that maybe, just maybe a body is buried under these hydrangeas? I didn't know....😱

If you love hydrangeas, read the posts below!

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Ayesha' (Popcorn hydrangea)

Hydrangea changing from pale green to white then to pale blue
Hydrangea blooming all year round (Hydrangea serrata var. yesoensis f. cuspidata cv.)

Purple and pink lacecap hydrangeas

Various lacecap hydrangeas

Pink mophead hydrangea

Kurenai lacecap hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata var. 'Kurenai')

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Tea of heaven 'Mikata-yae' (blue Hydrangea serrata)

Nettle-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea hirta)

White and whitish hydrangea

Annabelle hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle')

2023/6/8

Korean/Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia Pseudocamellia) 夏椿（ナツツバキ）

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

I've been taking a walk every morning for the last three years and photographing the flowers I see while walking. And I noticed for the first time that there's a Korean or Japanese stewartia tree (Stewartia pseudocamellia) along the street I walk everyday😅. 

The stewartia resembles camellia sasanqua/japonica, which blooms from winter to early spring, so I wondered at first why camellia was in bloom at this time of the year. But Stewartia is related to Camellia (i.e., both being in the Theaceae family) and Korean/Japanese stewartia blooms in early summer as suggested by its Japanese name "summer camellia." 

Japanese stewartia　夏椿

Korean stewartia　ナツツバキ