Blue Mophead Hydrangeas 青い紫陽花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are blue modhead hydrangeas in my neighborhood following pink and purple lacecap hydrangea, oakleaf hydrangea, red lacecap hydrangea, pink hydrangea, and white hydrangea. You may worry if I've taken all types of hydrangeas, but don't worry. I have at least two other types of hydrangeas in mind. The thing is if I have time to go there to photograph them. 

Blue mophead hydrangeas　青い紫陽花

Pink and Purple Lacecap Hydrangeas ピンクと紫の額紫陽花（ガクアジサイ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are lacecap hydrangeas in my neighborhood. Lacecap hydrangeas make me happy double with their beautiful sepals (fertile flowers) and hairy sterile flowers (in the center). 

Sterile flowers surrounded by fertile flowers　真花は装飾花に囲まれている

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia). The flowers are greenish white at first (1st and 2nd photos) but turn white (3rd) and then red, which I didn't know. The leaves also turn red in autumn. Like other hydrangeas, what look like white petals are not petals but are sepals. 

Oakleaf hydrangea　カシワバアジサイ（柏葉紫陽花）

Turned white　白い花

Hydrangea Serrata Var. 'Kurenai' 紅山紫陽花（クレナイヤマアジサイ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These're mountain hydrangeas 'Kurenai' (Hydrangea serrata var. 'Kurenai'). "Kurenai" means red in Japanese. I like lacecap hydrangeas especially when seen from the side.

Mountain hydrangea 'Kurenai'　クレナイヤマアジサイ

Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera Sempervirens) 突抜忍冬（ツキヌキニンドウ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Their bright red and orange was beautiful against the blue sky. They're coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). Its Japanese name is "penetrating honeysuckle" after the stem that looks like it penetrates a leaf (3rd photo).  

Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)　突抜忍冬（ツキヌキニンドウ）

The stem looks penetrating the leaf　茎が葉を貫いているように見える

Pomegranate (Punica Granatum) ザクロ（柘榴）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are pomegranate (Punica granatum) flowers. The bright orange always cheers me up while the shape always makes me chuckle😆 because it's like an octopus sausage (3rd photo)🐙😁! By the way, octopuses have no legs but only arms. 

If you want to see a pomegranate shaped sculpture made of agate and ruby (which looks exactly like a pomegranate!), read this post!

Pomegranate (Punica granatum)　ザクロ（柘榴）

Is The Guardian Dog a Frenchie? 狛犬はフレブル？

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Yesterday morning, I saw a black French bulldog sitting on a street. The owner talked the dog into walking a few times, but he (I assume so) ignored the owner completely. I love Frenchies, so I saw them from a distance for a while, but the Frenchie didn't move an inch. I approached them, saying to the owner that it was understandable for him not to want to walk as it was hot. (It was hot that day due to high humidity.) The owner said, smiling wryly, "No, he just didn't wanna go home."

It was a work day, so I left them rushing home. Then I found this guardian dog at the entrance of the Teppozu Inari Shrine. The guardian dog looks like a Frenchie, doesn't it?

The guardian dog at Teppozu Inari shrine　鉄砲洲稲荷神社の狛犬

Red Poppy (Papaver Rhoeas) ヒナゲシ（雛罌粟）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I found these red poppies (Papaver rhoeas) while taking a morning walk. The red petals are so noticeable from a distance while the dark brown center of the flower is so absorbing that I felt as if I had been drawn to the center.  

Red poppy (Papaver rhoeas)　ヒナゲシ（雛罌粟）

Hollyhock (Alcea Rosea) 立葵（タチアオイ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Beautiful baby pink caught my eye. These are hollyhocks. I wanted to take close-up shots of the red ones (3rd photo) but I couldn't. They were in the center of the garden, too far for me to take close-up photos. 

 

Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)　立葵（タチアオイ）

Pink Hydrangea ピンクの紫陽花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Hydrangeas have started to bloom one after another. Following the white ones I wrote about yesterday, this pink one is also now in bloom.

Hydrangea　紫陽花

White Hydrangea 白い紫陽花

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

White hydrangeas have started to bloom in my neighborhood. They're not in full bloom yet but are innocently beautiful. When photographing them, I felt something wrong, so looked around and found three men starting at me across a window. Then I realized that I was by an elementary school building and these men were preparing school meals. I pointed at the flowers. They smiled back at me. 

Hydrangea　紫陽花

A Horsefly on Fish Mint (Houttuynia Cordata) ドクダミとアブ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I know fish mint (Houttuynia cordata) is invasive and smelly but the plant's color contrast always attracts me and its pollen attracts bugs. The pollen must be delicious. The horsefly was going around the green flower many times. 

A horsefly on fish mint (Houttuynia cordata)　ドクダミとアブ

Tokyo Skytree against Sky at Night 夜の東京スカイツリー

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I took this photo to keep a memory of such a beautiful view. The night view included various colors. 

Tokyo Skytree against sky at night　夜の東京スカイツリー

Bladder Campion (Silene Vulgaris) シラタマソウ（白玉草）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I love their chubbiness. These are bladder campion (Silene vulgaris) flowers. I've photographed them several times but I noticed for the first time that their anthers were beautiful pale yellow green. 

Bladder campion (Silene vulgaris)　シラタマソウ（白玉草）

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シラタマソウ（白玉草）です。何度か写真撮ったことがあるのですが、葯がこんなに綺麗な薄黄緑だったことに初めて気づきました。

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Love-In-A-Mist (Nigella Damascena) ニゲラ（黒種草）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I don't why, but hairy things like these, i.e., love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena), always attract me. Most of the flowers in my neighborhood are blue but some (2nd photo) are white. 

Love-In-A-Mist (Nigella Damascena)　ニゲラ（黒種草）

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are small Venus' looking-glass (Triodanis biflora). I love such small flowers. One thing about them, however, is that the small Venus' looking-glass is usually closed or half open while I take a walk in the early morning (like in the 1st and 2nd photos). 

Small Venus' looking-glass (Triodanis biflora)　ヒナキキョウソウ（雛桔梗草）

Blue Passionflower (Passiflora Caerulea) 時計草（トケイソウ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I thought someone had said "It's eight five and seventeen seconds." These are blue passionflowers (Passiflora caerulea) and their Japanese name is "clock plant" after the appearance. 

Blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea)　時計草（トケイソウ）

Small-Leaf Spiderwort (Tradescantia Fluminensis) 常盤露草（トキワツユクサ）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The beautiful contrast between the white flowers and the deep green leaves caught my eye. They're  small-leaf spiderwort (Tradescantia fluminensis). Oops, I forgot to say something. The six yellow anthers also play an important role, making the color contrast more visible. 

Small-leaf spiderwort (Tradescantia fluminensis)　常盤露草（トキワツユクサ）

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are flowers of a camphor tree (Camphora officinarum). It was a nice surprise to know that such a large tree produces such lovely tiny flowers.  

Camphor tree (Camphora officinarum) flowers　楠（クスノキ）の花

Tree Peony (Chinese Peony, Paeonia Lactiflora) シャクヤク（芍薬）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are tree peonies (Chinese peonies [Paeonia lactiflora]). I sometimes went to the Ueno Toshogu Peony Garden and enjoyed more than 20 types of beautiful peonies there. In Japan, however, the peonies in these pictures (Paeonia lactiflora) are completely different flowers from the peonies in the garden (Moutan peonies or Paeonia x suffruticosa), which can be seen in the following Japanese saying describing a beautiful woman:  

She stands beautifully like a tree peony (Paeonia lactiflora).
She sits beautifully like a Moutan peony (Paeonia x suffruticosa).
She walks beautifully like a lily.

I want to be such a beautiful woman someday...

Tree peony (Chinese peony, Paeonia lactiflora)　シャクヤク（芍薬）