Chickweed (Stellaria Media) コハコベ（小繁縷）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Why didn't I notice such tiny but beautiful flowers? I walk there every early morning, but didn't see chickweeds at all. I googled and found that that was understandable. Chickweed flowers are close and leaves fold up at night. I was carrying heavy groceries when finding them but of course stopped to photograph them. The flower has five petals but they're bifid, which makes the flower look like having ten petals.  

Chickweed (Stellaria)　ハコベ（繁縷）

Chinese Bayberry (Myrica Rubra) ヤマモモ（山桃）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Cherry blossoms draw everyone's attention across Japan now, but don't forget that other flowers are also in full bloom! These are flowers of Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra) in my neighborhood. The flowers always remind me of fluffy cat tails. 

Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra)　ヤマモモ（山桃）

Shepherd's Purse (Capsella Bursa-Pastoris) ナズナ（ペンペングサ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I heard the voice saying "I'm ready to take off!" I turned around and found a bug on a flower of shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)! The weather in Japan has been unusual, warm in February while being cold in March and windy on many days in these months. Such weather has delayed the beginning of the cherry blossom season across Japan and this is the first bug resting on a plant I've seen in several months. Spring has finally arrived!  

Shepherd's purse is so tiny and looks so fragile but eats bugs😨. 

Shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)　ナズナ（ペンペングサ）

Yoko Cherry Blossoms (Cerasus ‘Yoko’) 陽光桜（ヨウコウザクラ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

They're Yoko cherry blossoms (Cerasus ‘Yoko’). The pink blossoms stood out from a distance. It was warmer in February but got colder in March. It's been very windy these days. Such unusual weather has delayed the beginning of the cherry blossom season across Japan. (I saw almost full-bloomed blossoms on these Yoko cherry trees in mid-March last year.) But that's not bad, is it? 

Yoko cherry (Cerasus Yoko)　ヨウコウザクラ（陽光桜）

Oshima Cherry (Prunus Speciosa) 大島桜（オオシマザクラ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It's been very cold like winter in Tokyo and maybe because of that, the cherry trees in my neighborhood haven't yet produced many flowers but this tree. This is an Oshima cherry tree (Prunus speciosa). The blossoms are now white but turn pink over time.

Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa)　オオシマザクラ（大島桜）

Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles Speciosa) ボケ（木瓜）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Orange flowering quince flowers (Chaenomeles speciosa) were in full bloom two weeks ago and now the red ones are in half bloom. Both are beautiful, but I prefer the red ones. 

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)　ボケ（木瓜）

Springstar (Ipheion Uniflorum) 花韮（ハナニラ）

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

It's been windy in Tokyo and springstar (Ipheion uniflorum) has been almost blown away like those in the first picture. The flowers in the pictures are all pale purple, but springstar produces white flowers, too. 

Springstar (Ipheion uniflorum)　花韮（ハナニラ）

Lamium Purpureum (Red Deadnettle) 姫踊子草（ヒメオドリコソウ）

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

Knowledge makes my walk more fun. Today I went out for a morning walk to find red deadnettle as I've been doing since I saw henbit deadnettle last month, and today I've found them. Red deadnettle and henbit deadnettle resemble very much each other, so I mistook red deadnettle for henbit deadnettle at first (and not now!). Both have very cute flowers, the lower part of which looks like a butterfly.  

Lamium purpureum (red deadnettle)　姫踊子草（ヒメオドリコソウ）

Corn Speedwell (Veronica Arvensis) タチイヌノフグリ（立犬の殖栗）

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

Look at these flowers. They're corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis), so tiny, just 3 to 5 mm in diameter! I walk there almost every day but noticed their presence for the first time yesterday and then realized that they were always closed when I was walking by because it was too early. 

I saw Persian speedwell a week ago. They're small, too, but corn speedwell is smaller. 

Corn speedwell (Veronica arvensis)　タチイヌノフグリ（立犬の殖栗）

Japanese Cornel (Cornus Officinalis) 山茱萸（サンシュユ）

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

These are flowers of the Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis). A tree in my neighborhood hasn't flowered yet, so I almost gave up on seeing Japanese cornel flowers this year. But instead I've found another tree! Japanese cornel has several Japanese names, one of which is "haru kogane bana," meaning "spring gold flowers." That's a perfect name for the flower, isn't it! 

Japanese cornel (Cornus officinalis)　サンシュユ（山茱萸）

Spiraea Thunbergii (Baby's Breath Spirea) 雪柳（ユキヤナギ）

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

They're baby's breath spirea (Spiraea thunbergii). The plant is called in Japanese "snow willow" after its snow white flowers and flexible stems like willow. 

Baby's breath spirea (Spiraea thunbergii)　ユキヤナギ（雪柳）

Cherry Laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus) 紅葉李（ベニバスモモ）

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

They're cherry laurel blossoms (Prunus laurocerasus) and you may think now these are beautiful cherry blossoms, but in Japan, they're not "cherry." The western countries consider all the plants in the Prunus genus as cherry while Asian countries including Japan consider only those in the Cerasus subgenus (i.e., a subgenus of Prunus) cherry. These blossoms are called in Japanese "beniba sumomo," meaning "red leaf plum."

Having said that however, many Japanese, including myself before knowing that, don't distinguish between Prunus and Cerasus exactly. That's why while I was photographing them, two women talked to me, saying that these cherry blossoms were so pretty. I proudly😜 explained that they were not "cherry" but "plum." Both were surprised and thanked me! The cherry, oops, plum blossoms, not only gave me joy but also created opportunities to have enjoyable chats with these ladies.

Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)　ベニバスモモ（紅葉李）

Buttercup Witch Hazel 日向水木（ヒュウガミズキ）

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

The buttercup witch hazel (Corylopsis pauciflora) in my neighborhood has started to flower. The name reminded me of something. I saw the name somewhere recently. Then, I recalled that I wrote about Japanese witch hazel. Both are in the Hamamelidaceae or witch-hazel family, which I didn't know.  

Buttercup witch hazel　日向水木（ヒュウガミズキ）

White Magnolia (Yulan Magnolia) ハクモクレン（白木蓮）

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

The weather was very good last weekend in Tokyo and I found them. They're Yulan magnolias (Magnolia heptapeta). Their white color against the blue sky gave me the hope to live my life.  

White magnolia (Yulan magnolia)　ハクモクレン（白木蓮）

Persian Speedwell (Veronica Persica) オオイヌノフグリ（大犬の陰嚢）

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

I often see Persian speedwell (Veronica persica) these days, but they are always closed because I see them in the early morning. Yesterday, however, it was at around 1 p.m., so they were all open! It was windy but I was able to manage to take these clear focused pictures. For those who don't know what they are called in Japanese, the below are the Japanese names of speedwells.

• Veronica polita or grey field-speedwell, whose Japanese name is "Dog balls"
• Veronica persica or Persian speedwell, "Large dog balls"
• Veronica arvensis or corn speedwell, "Standing dog balls"

Persian speedwell (Veronica persica)　オオイヌノフグリ（大犬の陰嚢）

Japanese Camellia (Camellia Japonica) ツバキ（椿）

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

The restaurant I pass by every early Saturday morning always has a wooden sign that says "Opening soon" and yesterday I found this Japanese camellia, which also would be "opening (up) soon"! A Japanese camellia in full bloom is beautiful but a camellia flower getting ready to open is also beautiful. I like the term "open (up) soon" much better than "closed."

The restaurant is an eel restaurant in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, named Oedo and was established in 1800! Wow! That explains its authentic traditional Japanese atmosphere.

Japanese camellia (Camellia japonica)　ツバキ（椿）

Japanese Andromeda 'Rosea' (Pieris Japonica F. Rosea) アケボノアセビ（曙馬酔木）

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

Last week, I wrote about white Japanese andromeda flowers and yesterday I found rosy ones! They're Japanese andromeda 'Rosea' (Pieris japonica f. Rosea). You would see Japanese andromeda grow in many places across Japan now, but most of them would have white flowers. 

Japanese andromeda 'Rosea' (Pieris japonica f. Rosea)　アケボノアセビ（曙馬酔木）