Thorny Olive (Elaeagnus Pungens) ナワシログミ（苗代茱萸）

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These are flowers of thorny olive (Elaeagnus pungens). Other species in the Elaeagnus genus flower in spring but this one flowers in autumn, has serrated leaves, and fruits in autumn. This means I need to keep going there to see the red berries!

The thorny olive is called "nawashiro gumi" or "rice seedbed Elaeagnus" in Japanese because it fruits when people prepare rice seedbeds.

Horsefly on an Annual Fleabane (Erigeron Annuus) ヒメジョオン（姫女菀）

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A horsefly came to land on a flower of annual fleabane (Erigeron annuus) and started to eat pollen. It was so tiny but a voracious eater😆. I'm not certain but I believe this is a long hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta).

Plains Cupid (Luthrodes Pandava) クロマダラソテツシジミ（黒斑蘇鉄小灰蝶）

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Butterflies were flying in many places with the beautiful grayish blue upper side of the wings while, when resting, showing only the grayish beige bottom side (2nd photo). They're plains cupids (Luthrodes pandava). Then, I found this one, showing both sides of its wings!  

202410/27

Shiso (Perilla Frutescens Var. Crispa) シソ（紫蘇）

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I always wondered what these tiny white flowers were and found the answer this morning by looking at a piece of paper on the wall (3rd photo), saying "Feel free to take some SHISO!" Yes! These are shiso flowers (Perilla frutescens var. crispa). 

Shiso, a kind of Japanese herb, is very popular, used for various dishes as ingredients (e.g., tempura) and as garnishes (e.g.,somen noodles, sushi, and sashimi ). The paper made me wonder how long it'd been there and why I missed it. I wish I had noticed it a few months earlier and been able to use shiso leaves for somen noodles!!

Star Magnolia (Magnolia Stellata) シデコブシ（四手辛夷）

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Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) has started to produce buds. Its flowers resemble white magnolia (Yulan magnolia) very much, but there are several differences. Star magnolia flowers are star-shaped and a little smaller than white magnolia. The way of flowering is also different, i.e., star magnolia flowers fully open while white magnolias only half open even when in full bloom. Star magnolia flowers from early spring (3rd and following photos). The buds prepare themselves to open to white flowers in the next half year.     

Star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)　シデコブシ（四手辛夷）

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus Florida) ハナミズキ（花水木）

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Autumn has finally arrived not only on the calendar but in reality in Japan and flowering dogwood trees (Cornus florida) have started to produce fruits with leaves turning red! It's a bit early for the best season for viewing autumn leaves but these are beautiful enough as a starter.  

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)　ハナミズキ（花水木）

Osmanthus Fragrans (Sweet Osmanthus) 金木犀（キンモクセイ）

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The shrub had many buds (2nd and 3rd photos) but it was not until I found these half open tiny orange flowers that I realized what they were. They're sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans). When open, they should be like in the fifth and following photos. They didn't smell yet but should become fragrant soon.    

2024/10/14

Mascarene Island Leaf Flower (Phyllanthus Tenellus) ナガエコミカンソウ（長柄小蜜柑草）

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I often wondered what they were. They're small and ball shaped, placed on the leaves in such an orderly manner as shown in the second photo. But I always forgot about them when writing posts for the blog. Larger and more colorful plants eclipse such tiny plants. They're Mascarene Island leaf flowers (Phyllanthus tenellus). The thing is whether these ball shaped things are buds or fruits, which I can't tell. The Mascarene Island leaf flower produces flowers from June to November. But time will tell. I'll keep observing these tiny balls😄.  

Mascarene Island leaf flower (Phyllanthus tenellus)　ナガエコミカンソウ（長柄小蜜柑草）

Chinese Fringetree (Chionanthus Retusus) ヒトツバタゴ（一つ葉タゴ）

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These are fruits of a Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus). Many plants fruit in autumn but their black color caught my eye. The tree produces white flowers in May, which I missed. The Chinese fringetree has male and hermaphrodite trees, the same as the Japanese ternstroemia (Ternstroemia gymnanthera). The fruits of Chinese fringetree are inedible and are avoided even by birds according to the information on the internet. Well then, who eats them? 

Chinese fringetree (Chionanthus retusus)　ヒトツバタゴ（一つ葉タゴ）

Ginkgo Nut ギンナン（銀杏）

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These are ginkgo nuts. They smell terrible but taste good, so it's very popular to eat the nuts in Japan as a seasonal delicacy. It's easy to cook. Put the nuts (with shell) in a frying pan and heat the pan over high heat in a frying pan until the shell turns brown. If they start popping, cover the pan. When the nuts start cracking, add salt and shake the pan until all crack. I haven't cooked the nuts myself but remember Mom dry roasting them for Dad. The point is grilled gingko nuts go so well with hot sake🍶. (Note that raw ginkgo nuts are toxic.) 

Gingko nuts　ギンナン（銀杏）

Climbing Fig (Ficus Pumila) オオイタビ（大木蓮子）

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They look like figs but their cuboid shape (3rd photo) differs from usual figs. These are climbing figs (Ficus pumila). Usual figs nearby are all gone when they get ripe while nobody seems to be interested in climbing figs although they're also edible. A woman passing by me said that the fruits were strewn on the ground every autumn. That was on September 8.

Since then, I've been observing the fruits grow and change from green to purple like in the first picture. And something has been bothering me or testing me. The demon inside me whispers to me, "I know you want to try this. No one is watching. Why don't you take one?" The angel inside me tells me, "No one but you is watching, isn't it?" So far the angel has won but who knows what will happen tomorrow? I really really want to have a bite to see what it tastes like. Does it taste the same as a fig does? Climbing figs have been torturing me.... 

October 9, 2024 Climbing fig (Ficus pumila) オオイタビ（大木蓮子）

September 8, 2024

The shape differs from usual figs　イチジクとは形が違う

Japanese Chestnut (Castanea Crenata) 日本グリ（和栗）

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A week ago, I mistook Japanese horse chestnuts for chestnuts. I noticed the mistake because what looked like chestnuts I found on a street had no burs. And today, I found a chestnut tree with still green chestnuts covered in burs. It was my first time to see unripe green chestnuts. 

There are the following four types of chestnuts according to Adachi Otoemon, a confectionery shop in Kyoto: 

• Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata)
• Western chestnut (Castanea sativa)
• Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima)
• American chestnut (Castanea dentata)

All of them are sweet. Now I'm thinking about what you're thinking about ....😋😋

Chestnut (Castanea crenata)　クリ（栗）

Caterpillar Family イモムシファミリー？

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I found a caterpillar on a street (3rd photo) and then found another in thick grass by the street and one after another in the grass as shown in these photos. I didn't count their number but am pretty sure that there were dozens. I wondered why these caterpillars loved this place that much but I'm quite certain that people passing by me also wondered why I crunched down and what I was taking photos of.   

The first caterpillar I found　最初に見つけたイモムシ

Pink Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia Pseudocamellia) ピンクの夏椿（ナツツバキ）

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First I was surprised to find these camellia like flowers on the street I walk down every morning and then a common straight swift landing on one of the flowers. These flowers are Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia). As part of its scientific name "pseudocamellia" suggests, the Japanese stewartia is related to camellias and therefore called natsu tsubaki in Japan, which means summer camellia. The camellia is evergreen while the Japanese stewartia is deciduous. 

A common straight swift on a pink Japanese stewartia　ピンクの夏椿とイチモンジセセリ 

Tahitian Bridal Veil (Gibasis Pellucida) 姫常磐露草（ブライダルベール）

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I said "Wow." A month ago, they were just like in the second photo and today, I've found them blooming like in the first photo! They're Tahitian bridal veil (Gibasis pellucida). As the name suggests, they're native to Central America and Mexico. The flowers are 1cm in diameter, so tiny and so cute. 

Tahitian bridal veil (Gibasis pellucida)　姫常磐露草（ブライダルベール）

Japanese Dogwood (Cornus Kousa) ヤマボウシ（山法師）

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Fruits of a Japanese dogwood tree (Cornus kousa) in my neighborhood have been changing from green to red. Japanese dogwood fruits are edible but not sold (as fruits) in Japan as far as I know. 

The Japanese dogwood is called "evergreen Buddhist monk" in Japanese by comparing the head (or capitulum) of the flower to the head of a monk of the Hieizan (Mt. Hiei) Enryakuji temple and the four bracts surrounding the capitulum to his hood (3rd and 4th photos).

2024/10/11

2024/10/11

10/2/2024

8/21/2023

Asian bluetail (Ischnura asiatica) アジアイトトンボ（亜細亜糸蜻蛉）

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Something makes you always feel happy, doesn't it? One such thing for me is this dragonfly, the Asian bluetail (Ischnura asiatica). The bright blue tip of the tail is so beautiful. 

At first, halberd shaped leaves (2nd photo) caught my eye and then the dragonfly on one of the leaves did. The dragonfly is male. Asian bluetails are common in Japan but because of their thinness, you wouldn't be able to find them easily.  

The halberd shaped leaves are Japanese bindweeds. I've seen the flowers many times but noticed the leaf shape for the first time. 

Asian bluetail (Ischnura asiatica)　アジアイトトンボ（亜細亜糸蜻蛉）

Japanese Horse Chestnut (Aesculus Turbinata) トチノキ（栃の木）

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I thought that they were Japanese chestnuts at first but they have no burs. They're Japanese horse chestnuts (Aesculus turbinata). Japanese horse chestnuts resemble European horse chestnuts and Japanese chestnuts very much but Japanese chestnuts open when ripe whereas the Japanese and European horse chestnuts do not. Also, while Japanese chestnuts are edible and sweet, Japanese horse chestnuts are edible but very bitter and the European ones are poisonous. You cannot mistake one for another...   

 

Japanese horse chestnut (Aesculus turbinata)　トチノキ（栃の木）

The horse chestnut bur does not open even when ripe
熟しても栃の木の蒴果は閉じたまま