False Strawberry (Potentilla Hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi) ヘビイチゴ（蛇苺）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

False strawberries (Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi) are native to east to south Asia and can be found across Japan. False strawberries produce yellow flowers from April to June and berries at almost the same time. The berries are edible and look delicious, but tasteless and that's why in Japan they're called "hebiichigo" as contained in its scientific name, which translates into "snake strawberries" or "strawberries for snakes." 

False strawberries (Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi) resemble another type of false strawberry (Potentilla indica) very much but there's a clear difference, i.e., the former's receptacle is white while the latter's is red and glossy. Both false strawberries produce yellow flowers from April to May in Japan (scroll down) but I was able to find them only once (2nd photo).   

2026/5/17

2026/5/14

Is Wild Strawberry Green Because the "Little Lady" Works From Home? 野イチゴが熟してないのは「おばあさん」のせい？

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

This is the only red wild strawberry I could find in my neighborhood...

Wild strawberry 野イチゴ

The Little Old Lady in the "Wild" Strawberry Patch 「蝦夷蛇苺（エゾヘビイチゴ）畑」の小さなおばあさん

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

What's this flower?

What's this white flower? 何の花でしょう？

Look at the fruits below the flower! 花の下に実が！

Two are ripe while two still green 赤と緑のイチゴ

Cawaii! かわいいね！

They are wild strawberries I found at a neighborhood park. I didn't expect to see such strawberries there because of the timing and the place. Wild strawberries fruit in winter or spring somewhere in the countryside, don't they? 

These red fruits (not berries) reminded me of a Japanese picture book I read a long time ago, entitled "The Little Old Lady in the Strawberry Patch (Ichigo batake no chiisana obaasan)." The story is about a little old lady living in a strawberry patch whose work is to "color strawberries red🍓" and who got very busy one year because of earlier-than-usual flowering of strawberries. She hadn't finished the preparations for the coloring...

I don't have this book any more and had completely forgot about it until I saw these cute strawberries, but I read this heartwarming story many times and I want to read it again😉

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朝の散歩で見つけました。ゴーヤの花を見ていて何気に足下見たらちっちゃくのぞいてました。

「いちごばたけのちいさなおばあさん」をいう本を思い出しました。確か、苺畑にちっちゃなおばあさんが住んでいて、そのおばあさんのお仕事が苺を赤く塗ること🍓だったと思います。好きな絵本の一つで何度も何度も読みました。また読みたいです😉

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