These're forget-me-nots (Myosotis). They're tiny but their color contrast between the blue purple petals and the yellow centers against the green leaves after the rain was so beautiful.
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| Forget-me-not 勿忘草 |
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| Myosotis ワスレナグサ |
Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis) 勿忘草（ワスレナグサ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Somei Cherry Blossoms (Prunus x Yedoensis) 染井吉野（ソメイヨシノ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
They're Somei cherry blossoms (Prunus x yedoensis or Cerasus x yedoensis). Most Somei cherry trees in my neighborhood produce flowers too high to reach, but luckily I've found a tree by which there're stairs and I was able to take some close-up photos.
They're Somei cherry blossoms (Prunus x yedoensis or Cerasus x yedoensis). Most Somei cherry trees in my neighborhood produce flowers too high to reach, but luckily I've found a tree by which there're stairs and I was able to take some close-up photos.
Somei cherry blossoms are slightly pink but almost white, different from other cherry tree blossoms like those below. If you want to compare them, read these posts, too!!
Akebia Quinata (Chocolate Vine) 木通（アケビ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are flowers of Akebia quinata or commonly known as chocolate vine. The shades ranging from pale green to burgundy purple are so chic, aren't they? Chocolate vine is monoecious, meaning it has male and female flowers on the same plant. What look like flowers in these photos are however not flowers but sepals and the objects protruding from the center of the what-look-like-flowers are the female flowers and the smaller pink and purple striped, onion-shaped objects beside the female flowers are their male counterparts. The fruits are edible, though I've never tried.
These are flowers of Akebia quinata or commonly known as chocolate vine. The shades ranging from pale green to burgundy purple are so chic, aren't they? Chocolate vine is monoecious, meaning it has male and female flowers on the same plant. What look like flowers in these photos are however not flowers but sepals and the objects protruding from the center of the what-look-like-flowers are the female flowers and the smaller pink and purple striped, onion-shaped objects beside the female flowers are their male counterparts. The fruits are edible, though I've never tried.
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| Male (smaller striped) and female (protruding from the center of what-look-like-flowers) flowers of Akebia quinata 木通の雄花と雌花 |
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| Before the sepals open 萼片が開く前 |
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| Chocolate vine アケビ |
Pink & White Oshima Cherry (Prunus Speciosa) 大島桜（オオシマザクラ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are Oshima cherry blossoms (Prunus speciosa). The color is beautiful and a change of the color from white to pink is more beautiful. Most Oshima cherry trees produce white blossoms but they produce pink flowers before dying. I especially love the pinkish white blossoms in the last two photos.
Below are the cherry blossoms I've seen this year. If you're interested, read these posts!
- Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata)
- Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
- Kawazu cherry (Cerasus lannesiana)
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| Pink Oshima cherry ピンクの大島桜 |
Red Camellia 真っ赤な落椿
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
People across Japan are excited about the start of the cherry blossom season, but they are missing something as beautiful as cherry blossoms. Camellia trees are now in full bloom, so the flower heads in my neighborhood are scattered on the ground as shown in the second photo!!
People across Japan are excited about the start of the cherry blossom season, but they are missing something as beautiful as cherry blossoms. Camellia trees are now in full bloom, so the flower heads in my neighborhood are scattered on the ground as shown in the second photo!!
Japanese camellia look like sasanqua and experts provide several ways to distinguish these two camellia flowers, i.e., the size of trees and the timing of flowering, but the most interesting difference is how they fall or die. When Japanese camellia flowers die, the flower heads fall off in their entirety and this way of dying was associated with beheaded human heads in the Edo (samurai) period. Naturally, despite their beauty, camellia flowers were unpopular among samurai. Unlike Japanese camellia, sasanqua flowers die with petals falling off one by one.
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| Red camellia is in full bloom 椿が満開 |
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| Camellia flower heads reminded samurai of beheaded human heads これが首を連想させたそうです |
Yoko Cherry Blossoms (Cerasus ‘Yoko’) 陽光桜（ヨウコウザクラ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
They're Yoko cherry blossoms (Cerasus ‘Yoko’). The pink blossoms stood out from a distance and have increased the number of types of cherry trees I've seen this spring so far to three.
They're Yoko cherry blossoms (Cerasus ‘Yoko’). The pink blossoms stood out from a distance and have increased the number of types of cherry trees I've seen this spring so far to three.
For the last several years, I've created a list of cherry blossoms I see in the spring and the lists last year and in the year before didn't include cherry laurel blossoms because the tree is not counted as cherry in Japan. (Click here to find out why.) But how can "cherry" laurel not be a cherry tree?! So I've included cherry laurel in the list this year as below. The list should include more!!🌸
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| Yoko cherry blossoms 陽光桜 |
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| Cerasus ‘Yoko’ ヨウコウザクラ |
Cherry Laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus) 紅葉李（ベニバスモモ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
They're cherry laurel blossoms (Prunus laurocerasus). They are cherry blossoms, but not counted as such in Japan. The western countries consider all the plants in the Prunus genus as cherry while Asian countries including Japan consider only those in the Cerasus subgenus (i.e., a subgenus of Prunus) cherry.
They're cherry laurel blossoms (Prunus laurocerasus). They are cherry blossoms, but not counted as such in Japan. The western countries consider all the plants in the Prunus genus as cherry while Asian countries including Japan consider only those in the Cerasus subgenus (i.e., a subgenus of Prunus) cherry.
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| Cherry laurel 紅葉李 |
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| Prunus laurocerasus ベニバスモモ |
Forsythia 連翹（レンギョウ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Forsythia has started to flower. Many plants produce yellow flowers but forsythia's yellow is brighter than that of wintersweet or winter hazel.
Forsythia has started to flower. Many plants produce yellow flowers but forsythia's yellow is brighter than that of wintersweet or winter hazel.
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| Forsythia 連翹 |
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| Forsythia レンギョウ |
Eurya Japonica (East Asian Eurya) 姫榊（ヒサカキ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are buds of Eurya japonica, known as East Asian eurya. I've not found new plants in my neighborhood these days because I've taken an early morning walk every day for over three years since Covid-19 started and learned the location of almost every plant. So, it was nice to find East Asian eurya and look it up on the internet!
East Asian eurya is in the Pentaphylacaceae family as Japanese Ternstroemia is, my another favorite plant.
These are buds of Eurya japonica, known as East Asian eurya. I've not found new plants in my neighborhood these days because I've taken an early morning walk every day for over three years since Covid-19 started and learned the location of almost every plant. So, it was nice to find East Asian eurya and look it up on the internet!
East Asian eurya is in the Pentaphylacaceae family as Japanese Ternstroemia is, my another favorite plant.
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| Eurya japonica 姫榊 |
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| East Asian eurya ヒサカキ |
White & Pink Thunberg's Meadowsweet 雪柳＆桃色雪柳
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
They're Spiraea thunbergii or more commonly Thunberg spiraea or Thunberg's meadowsweet. The plant is called in Japan "snow willow" after its snow white flowers and flexible stems like willow. But you know what? There is another cultivar producing pinkish white flowers (i.e., Spiraea thunbergii 'Fujino Pinky')!
They're Spiraea thunbergii or more commonly Thunberg spiraea or Thunberg's meadowsweet. The plant is called in Japan "snow willow" after its snow white flowers and flexible stems like willow. But you know what? There is another cultivar producing pinkish white flowers (i.e., Spiraea thunbergii 'Fujino Pinky')!
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| Spiraea thunbergii 雪柳 |
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| Spiraea thunbergii 'Fujino Pinky' 桃色雪柳 |
Dwarf Lilyturf (Ophiopogon Japonicus) 蛇の髭（ジャノヒゲ）
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are fruits of dwarf lilyturf (Ophiopogon japonicus). Round red fruits, such as coral ardisia, are seen in many places, but blue fruits are not that common, aren't they?
These are fruits of dwarf lilyturf (Ophiopogon japonicus). Round red fruits, such as coral ardisia, are seen in many places, but blue fruits are not that common, aren't they?
In Japan, dwarf lilyturf is called "snake's beard" or "dragon's beard" after its thin beard-like leaves.
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| Dwarf lilyturf 蛇の髭 |
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| Ophiopogon japonicus ジャノヒゲ |
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Pale Speedwell (Veronica Cymbalaria) コゴメイヌノフグリ（小米犬の陰嚢）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 Pale speedwells (Veronica cymbalaria) are native to Europe. Speedwells can be found across Japan, but this type isn't so ...
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英語の後に日本語が続きます。 I read "A Pale View of Hills" by Kazuo Ishiguro a few years ago. The book was my second Ishiguro's book after...
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Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。 Is he being boiled to death? (This is a revised version of the story originally posted on Se...