Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia Papyrifera) カジノキ（梶の木）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I was photographing fruits on a Japanese dogwood tree and then these strange shaped leaves under the tree caught my eye. These are leaves of paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera). The leaves are lobed with leaf margins sharply toothed, but they can be variable, like unlobed, round or heart-shaped, which is like Dendropanax trifidus leaves, which change from a lobed to an ovate shape.

Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)　カジノキ（梶の木）

Japanese Mazus (Mazus Pumilus) トキワハゼ（常磐爆）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

So cute and so hardy! These are Japanese mazus (Mazus pumilus). They stopped producing flowers in summer but have started to flower again as the weather gets cooler. Despite such tininess, the plant's seed pods burst🤯 open, which is why it's called tokiwa haze, meaning "evergreen burst." I want to see the bursts someday.    

4/30/2024

Japanese Winterberry (Ilex Serrata) ウメモドキ（梅擬）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are Japanese winterberry flowers (Ilex serrata). Despite their cute smallness, i.e., 3 - 4 mm in diameter, however, the Japanese winterberry is known more for its red fruits produced from September to December. These flowers remind me of longstalk holly flowers, which makes sense. They're both in the Ilex or holly genus.

Japanese winterberry (Ilex serrata)　ウメモドキ（梅擬）

Colorful Bitter Gourd カラフルゴーヤ

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It's not a colorful doughnut. It's not a gigantic, colorful snail, either. It's a ripe bitter gourd! Bitter gourds mostly grow like the one in the third photo but they are all different like we are. The last photo is of a home bitter gourd for ants! 

A colorful bitter gourd　カラフルなゴーヤ

A home for ants　アリの家？

Female Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis Servilia) ショウジョウトンボ（猩々蜻蛉）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a female scarlet skimmer (ruddy marsh skimmer or Crocothemis servilia), or so I believe. In contrast to its name, the dragonfly is not scarlet because it's female. Only male scarlet skimmers are scarlet and each has a territory around a pond. I should find a pond first to see a really "scarlet" scarlet skimmer.  

A female scarlet skimmer　ショウジョウトンボの雌

Grasshopper (Atractomorpha) オンブバッタ（負飛蝗）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

These are grasshoppers. Simple and clear. The issue is, however, their relationship. For example, a man passing by me taking these photos said that they were a parent and a child. Ha ha! He's mistaken. They are a male and a female grasshoppers and you know what? The bigger one is female, meaning a female grasshopper is piggybacking a male counterpart😆! And that's why in Japan, the grasshopper is called "piggybacking grasshopper." I can't laugh at the guy however. I also assumed that they were a mother and a child😂!

A female grasshopper is piggybacking a male counterpart　雌が雄をおんぶ

  

Schoenoplectiella Triangulatus Roxb. カンガレイ（寒枯藺）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a Schoenoplectiella triangulatus Roxb. The plant is known to have stems of which the cross-section is triangular. I wanted to see the cross section but I couldn't break the stem.

Inflorescence　花序

Sawfly ハバチ（羽蜂）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

The orange, blue, and pink colors (2nd photo) and then the small but bright orange and black bug on a green leaf caught my eye. 

Sawfly　ハバチ（羽蜂）

Waterleaf (Talinum Fruticosum) and a Pale Grass Blue ハゼラン（爆蘭）とヤマトシジミ（大和小灰蝶）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

I had to go there three times to take these photos yesterday. First, at 5 a.m. while on an early morning walk. Second, at 9 a.m. before going to a nearby library. Then, at 3 p.m. because at 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., the flowers were closed as shown in the last photo and as suggested by one of its Japanese names "sanjiso," meaning "3 o'clock plant," which I didn't know at these times. They are waterleaves (Talinum fruticosum). I walk by them almost every morning but didn't know until the day before when happening to walk by them at around 3 p.m. While I was photographing the waterleaf, a pale grass blue came to play with me, flying from one flower to another.  

2024/9/9

Two Caterpillars Resting Side by Side 仲良く休憩？

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Something was strange with the leaf of a Chinese tallow tree. See? Something was protruding from the tip. I went behind it, finding two caterpillars resting on the leaf side by side (last photo). I wanted to photograph them from right behind but gave up. I didn't want to disturb them. 

Yellow Damselfly (Ceriagrion Melanurum) キイトトンボ（黄糸蜻蛉）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

It resembles an Asian bluetail (Ischnura asiatica) but the body color is different. The Asian bluetail is blue while this one is yellow green. This is a yellow damselfly (Ceriagrion melanurum). Asian bluetails and yellow damselflies are both difficult to find because they're so thin. While blinking after taking these photos, I lost sight of it.

Yellow damselfly (Ceriagrion melanurum)　キイトトンボ（黄糸蜻蛉）

Giant Crinum Lily (Crinum Asiaticum) ハマユウ（浜木綿）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

This is a giant crinum lily (Crinum asiaticum), a plant in the Amaryllidaceae family, the same as red spider lilies. Also like red spider lilies, giant crinum lilies are toxic in their entirety. The thin orangish things on the flower are stamens.

Giant crinum lily (Crinum asiaticum)　ハマユウ（浜木綿）

The stamens are brownish　雄蕊は茶色