英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Hydrangeas attract not only people but bumblebees! These hydrangeas were cream at first but have turned bluish and are still changing. If you like hydrangeas, read the following posts:
Curly Dock (Rumex Crispus) ナガバギシギシ (長葉羊蹄)
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are curly dock (Rumex crispus). Curly dock is native to Europe but is now seen everywhere across Japan. From a distance (11th photo), they're just green leaves but when looked closely, they show tiny but beautiful cream flowers and also tiny fruits, which are cream at first but turn red. The name is interestingly "nagaba gishi gishi," which translates to "long leaf gishi gishi," after the sound produced when the stems are rubbed (which I don't know is true).
These are curly dock (Rumex crispus). Curly dock is native to Europe but is now seen everywhere across Japan. From a distance (11th photo), they're just green leaves but when looked closely, they show tiny but beautiful cream flowers and also tiny fruits, which are cream at first but turn red. The name is interestingly "nagaba gishi gishi," which translates to "long leaf gishi gishi," after the sound produced when the stems are rubbed (which I don't know is true).
 |
| 2025/5/16 |
 |
| 2025/5/16 |
Rescue Grass (Bromus catharticus) イヌムギ（犬麦）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
I've been writing about plants in Tokyo for several years, so I rarely find a new plant these days. Therefore, finding something tiny hanging from spikelets made me say WOW. They're flowers of rescue grass (Bromus catharticus). Rescue grass is native to America and came to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era (1868 - 1912).
The plant is called "inu mugi," which translates to "dog wheat," because the plant resembles wheat but is not edible, i.e., useless. In Japan, the term "inu (dog)" is often used derogatorily, i.e., for something which resembles a useful thing but is different or inferior to it or something useless, like the following:
- Inu jini, translating to a dog death, meaning a useless death
- Inu houzuki, translating to dog ground cherry, meaning black nightshade, whose flowers resemble ground cherry but which is useless
- Inu, translating to an informant, a snitch, a rat
I did research on why but couldn't find any good explanation.
 |
| 2025/5/16 |
 |
| 2025/5/15 |
Red Roses Out Of Place 場違いな赤いバラ
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
I'm not interested in roses very much. They're beautiful but too gorgeous to take up for this blog. But this rose tree, which is now in full bloom, caught my eye. Just by itself, in front of an old building, it seemed a bit out of place to me. I also wonder who has planted and taken care of it.
I'm not interested in roses very much. They're beautiful but too gorgeous to take up for this blog. But this rose tree, which is now in full bloom, caught my eye. Just by itself, in front of an old building, it seemed a bit out of place to me. I also wonder who has planted and taken care of it.
 |
| 2025/5/16 |
Toad Lily (Tricyrtis Formosana) タイワンホトトギス（台湾杜鵑草）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Hang in there, buddy! The snail was like in the second and third photos yesterday and in the first photo this morning. The flower it was holding onto is a toad lily (Tricyrtis formosana). The plant is said to flower from August to September but I've come to believe toad lilies flower throughout the year because I saw them today (i.e., in May) but in December last year and in September the year before.
Hang in there, buddy! The snail was like in the second and third photos yesterday and in the first photo this morning. The flower it was holding onto is a toad lily (Tricyrtis formosana). The plant is said to flower from August to September but I've come to believe toad lilies flower throughout the year because I saw them today (i.e., in May) but in December last year and in September the year before.
The plant is named after spots on a toad's skin and its preference of shady, moist places like toads. In Japan, however, the toad lily is called "hototogisu," which translates into "lesser cuckoo," also after its spots, which, to Japanese people, look like the chest plumage of the bird. Perception varies.
 |
| 2025/5/16 |
 |
| 2025/5/15 From above |
 |
| 2025/5/15 From side |
Pink/Purple Mountain Hydrangea ピンク・紫のヤマアジサイ（山紫陽花）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Hydrangeas are pleasing with their colors and these pink and purple mountain hydrangeas in particular because the blooms have not only beautiful sepals (sterile flowers) but also pretty petals (fertile flowers). The 2nd photo is a close up of the center part consisting of real (fertile) flowers, which are so tiny and so beautiful!
Hydrangeas are pleasing with their colors and these pink and purple mountain hydrangeas in particular because the blooms have not only beautiful sepals (sterile flowers) but also pretty petals (fertile flowers). The 2nd photo is a close up of the center part consisting of real (fertile) flowers, which are so tiny and so beautiful!
 |
| 2025/5/15 |
 |
| 2025/5/15 |
Mushrooms キノコ
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
It was amazing to find not one or two but five types of mushrooms just in a day. These mushrooms hadn't existed a few days earlier, so it means that they've just popped up for the past couple of days, during which it had rained. They resemble edible mushrooms, such as shiitake (1st and 2nd photos) and shimeji (last two photos) and that's why the ministry of agriculture, forestry, and fishery has a website on poisonous mushrooms in Japan (in Japanese only).
It was amazing to find not one or two but five types of mushrooms just in a day. These mushrooms hadn't existed a few days earlier, so it means that they've just popped up for the past couple of days, during which it had rained. They resemble edible mushrooms, such as shiitake (1st and 2nd photos) and shimeji (last two photos) and that's why the ministry of agriculture, forestry, and fishery has a website on poisonous mushrooms in Japan (in Japanese only).
Flowering Grass (Freesia Laxa) ヒメヒオウギ（姫檜扇）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
These are freesia laxa or flowering grass. Freesia laxa is originally an ornamental plant, but now grows everywhere in Japan like weeds. The reddish orange color first caught my eye, which led to finding white ones. Freesia laxa is pretty and hardy as other pretty weeds, such as wood sorrels, speedwells, and cucumber herbs. Pretty and hardy can coexist!
These are freesia laxa or flowering grass. Freesia laxa is originally an ornamental plant, but now grows everywhere in Japan like weeds. The reddish orange color first caught my eye, which led to finding white ones. Freesia laxa is pretty and hardy as other pretty weeds, such as wood sorrels, speedwells, and cucumber herbs. Pretty and hardy can coexist!
 |
| 2025/5/12 |
 |
| 2025/5/12 |
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia Latifolia) カルミア（亜米利加石楠花、アメリカシャクナゲ）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
Mountain laurels (Kalmia latifolia) are now in full bloom. The flowers look like parasols and the buds konpeito, i.e., tiny star-shaped Japanese sugar candies, which are Pokémon Nebby's favorite food.
Konpeito was imported from Portugal to Japan in the 16th century together with the name "confeito" in Portuguese, meaning sugar candy. If you haven't seen the candy, click here (Wikipedia). See? The buds of mountain laurel look exactly like konpeito, don't they?
Despite such lovely appearance, however, all the parts of Kalmia are poisonous especially for sheep as suggested by its other common names "lamb-kill," "calf-kill," "kill-kid," and "sheep-poison."
 |
| 2025/5/24 |
 |
| 2025/5/24 |
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。
These are false strawberries (Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi). False strawberries are edible (and look delicious) but tasteless and that's why in Japan they're called snake strawberries, i.e., strawberries for snakes. Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi resembles Potentilla indica very much but there's a clear difference, i.e., the receptacle of Potentilla hebiichigo is white while that of Potentilla indica is red and glossy. False strawberries produce yellow flowers from April to May in Japan but I was able to find only a few (2nd photo). The false strawberry in the third photo is covered by sepals, which is also cute!
These are false strawberries (Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi). False strawberries are edible (and look delicious) but tasteless and that's why in Japan they're called snake strawberries, i.e., strawberries for snakes. Potentilla hebiichigo Yonek. et H.Ohashi resembles Potentilla indica very much but there's a clear difference, i.e., the receptacle of Potentilla hebiichigo is white while that of Potentilla indica is red and glossy. False strawberries produce yellow flowers from April to May in Japan but I was able to find only a few (2nd photo). The false strawberry in the third photo is covered by sepals, which is also cute!
 |
| 2025/5/13 |
 |
| 2025/5/13 |
 |
| 2025/5/10 |
Galls on Cherry Leaves😱 サクラの葉の虫こぶ😱
英語の後に日本語が続きます。
What do you see in these photos? I saw caterpillars when seeing them for the first time but they are not caterpillars. They're Tuberocephalus tsengi or galls, which contain many many aphids😱!! So, don't even think about looking inside!
What do you see in these photos? I saw caterpillars when seeing them for the first time but they are not caterpillars. They're Tuberocephalus tsengi or galls, which contain many many aphids😱!! So, don't even think about looking inside!
 |
| 2025/5/10 |
 |
| 2025/5/10 |
登録:
投稿 (Atom)
Cabbage White Butterfly モンシロチョウ（紋白蝶）
英語の後に日本語が続きます。 I thought it was a common grass yellow butterfly at first but it's not so yellow and its spots, which should be black, a...
-
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...
-
Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。 This is prunus persica in Tokyo National Museum . The branches weep down to the ground and the flow...