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

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

I first thought it was Nuttallanthus canadensis or blue toadflax, but it's not that tall. Then, Cymbalaria Muralis (Kenilworth Ivy) came to my mind, but again its flower shape is different. At home I found that this was Mazus pumilus, commonly called Japanese mazus. You can see how small Japanese mazus by comparing it with Trigonotis peduncularis (1st photo) and a closed creeping woodsorrel flower (2nd photo)!

Mazus pumilus and Trigonotis peduncularis 常磐爆とキュウリグサ

Mazus pumilus and woodsorrel 常磐爆と酢漿草の蕾

Sleeping Beauty "Stink Bug"? 眠れる森のカメムシ？

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

I take a walk every morning and check several places where hydrangeas are growing. And I noticed something on a lacecap hydrangea. Do you see it? A dark brown bug on it! It must have been sleeping like a log. It didn't move an inch. If you're interested in lacecap hydrangeas changing from green to blue then to pink, see this post! 

Lacecap hydrangea ガクアジサイ

Stink bug on a lacecap hydrangea ガクアジサイの上のカメムシ？

Pale Red Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla F. Normalis) 薄赤の額紫陽花（ガクジアジサイ）

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

The rainy season will start soon in Japan, and that means the hydrangea season will, too. This is macrophylla f. normalis or lacecap hydrangea, which changes from green (scroll down to see the 3rd photo!) to pale RED. I love this color change as well as another bloom's change from green-to-blue-then-to-pink! 

5/26 Hydrangea macrophylla f. normalis 額紫陽花

Ilex Pedunculosa (Longstalk Holly) 戦（ソヨゴ）

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

I sometimes write about horseflies but it doesn't mean I like them. Rather I don't. I write about horseflies because some look like wasps, being orange and black, and beautiful. So, I don't like usual flies like this, either, which aren't colorful at all. But this one landed on a tiny flower of Ilex pedunculosa or more commonly longstalk holly just in front of me. Who would pass up on such an opportunity!?

Ilex pedunculosa 戦

Lacecap Hydrangea Changing from Green to Blue then to Pink 緑から青そしてピンクに変わる額紫陽花

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

The rainy season will soon start in Tokyo, and that means the hydrangea season will too. And this is one of its cultivars, i.e., hydrangea macrophylla f. normalis or lacecap hydrangea, one of my favorites!

You may think you are looking at hydrangeas on shrubs producing different colored flowers, i.e., pink, blue and green (scroll down!), but you're not. These are all on the same shrub, changing color from green to blue then to pink.   

The color of hydrangeas depends on the pH level of the soil with higher acidity levels resulting in blue flowers and alkaline soil producing pink flowers, but I don't understand why hydrangeas change color like this. The pH level for the blooms (and the shrub) should be the same when the flower is green, blue or pink... But it's okay! I've decided to focus on enjoying their incredibly beautiful colors!

What look like petals are actually sepals and the tiny round things surrounded by the sepals are florets (i.e., flowers). 

Hydrangea macrophylla f. normalis after color change ピンクに変わった額紫陽花

Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) 吸い葛（スイカズラ）

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

This is Lonicera japonica, known as Japanese honeysuckle. Its name in Japanese is "suikazura," also meaning (honey) suckle vine, which is an unusual case of the English name coinciding with its Japanese name. The honey (i.e., nectar) of the plant must be so sweet, mustn't it?  

The plant changes its flower color from white to cream as Weigela coraeensis does (which changes from white to pink, then to deep purple). Flowers change color for various reasons, such as successful pollination. But according to a Japanese website, Japanese honeysuckle changes its flower color for no reason but as time passes, i.e., the flowers open in the evening, changing to cream the next day and then to yellow the day after.

Lonicera japonica 吸い葛

Pink Kousa Dogwood (Cornus Kousa) ピンクの山法師

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

This is Cornus kousa or more commonly kousa dogwood or Japanese dogwood. I've seen cream white Cornus kousa, but had never seen a pink one.

Cornus kousa and Cornus florida look like each other, but the shape of the bracts is different. Cornus kousa's bracts are pointed whereas Cornus florida's are round. Another big difference is that the fruits of Cornus kousa are edible while those of Cornus florida are poisonous.

This Cornus kousa tree is pretty tall, so I was able to take these photos from under the tree. The flowers (or strictly speaking the bracts!) were so translucent (2nd photo), which made me feel alone but happy...

Cornus kousa ヤマボウシ

From under the tree 木の下から

Saxifraga Stolonifera (Strawberry Geranium) 雪の下（ユキノシタ）

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

This is Saxifraga stolonifera or more commonly known as strawberry geranium. The shape of the flowers is so pretty that I always stop to see them closely.

The flower shape must have made people think of many things and come up with names after these things such as "Aaron's beard" and 鴨足草 (a Japanese name meaning "duck's feet"), but to me, the flowers just look like persons floating in the air, extending their arms and legs. By the way, in China, not the flower but its round leaves reminded people of "tiger's ears," which has become the plant's name.  

Its most common Japanese name is "雪の下," meaning "under snow" because the plant grows green leaves even under snow.

Saxifraga stolonifera 雪の下

Strawberry geranium ユキノシタ

Weigela Coraeensis 箱根空木（ハコネウツギ）

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

This is Weigela coraeensis, my favorite Weigela because of its changing color from white, pink, to ultimately deep purple, and that's why the flower means capriciousness (in Japan). You can see how capricious the flower is by looking at the first and second photos! 

The weigela attracts many bugs, e.g., ants, ladybugs and Asian ladybeetle chrysalises (3rd and 4th photos). Ladybug chrysalises look like the adults to repel predators because adult ladybeetles eject toxic blood when attacked.

Weigela coraeensis changes color 箱根空木の色は変わる

Weigela coraeensis means "capriciousness" in Japan
ハコネウツギの花言葉は「移り気」

Briza Minor (Little Quaking Grass) 姫小判草（ヒメコバンソウ）

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

This is Briza minor or more commonly little quaking-grass. Its name contains "little" due to the comparison with Briza maxima or greater quaking-grass. The plant is so little as you can see in the first photo in which lesser trefoil is behind it. Lesser foil is the size of a grain of rice as suggested by its Japanese name "kometsubu tsumekusa," meaning "clover the size of a grain of rice." 

Little quaking grass has a pretty Japanese name "hime koban sou," meaning "princess quaking-grass."

Briza minor 姫小判草

Little quaking grass ヒメコバンソウ

Briza Maxima (Greater Quaking-Grass) 小判草（コバンソウ）

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

This is Briza maxima or more commonly greater quaking-grass. When I first saw it, I thought they were some kind of bugs. 

Greater quaking-grass is "koban so" in Japanese, meaning "old Japanese gold coin plant." To me, however, it rather looks like Japanese waraji straw sandals. As its name suggests, the plant has a smaller one. 

Briza maxima 小判草

Greater quaking-grass コバンソウ