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

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

These are flowers of Cornus kousa or more commonly known as kousa dogwood. There're dozens of white and red flowering dogwood trees (Cornus florida) but as far as I know, only a few kousa dogwood trees in my neighborhood. I don't know why. 

Kousa 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.

 Kousa dogwood　山法師

Iris Japonica (Butterfly Flower) 射干（シャガ）

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

This is Iris japonica, commonly known as fringed iris, shaga and butterfly flower. Its color and shape is beautiful, especially with a green inchworm🐛 on it!

Iris japonica (butterfly flower)　射干（シャガ）

Cotoneaster コトネアスター

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

I first thought they were Spiraea thunbergii but the leaf shape is different. I googled it and found they're Cotoneaster. But not only that, I also found two inchworms (2nd and 3rd photos) on the flowers. Spring is for not only plants but bugs, too!!

Cotoneaster　コトネアスター

An inchworm on cotoneaster　コトネアスターと尺取虫

Weeping Maple Flowers and Red "Spring" Leaves 紅枝垂れ紅葉（ベニシダレモミジ）の花

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

This is a weeping red maple tree (Acer palmatum var. matsumurae cv. ornatum). Can you see its tiny but conspicuous flowers and deep red "spring" leaves? Yes! The weeping red maple leaves turn red in spring!! I enjoyed everything about the tree but thousands of tiny flying bugs around the tree following me!

Weeping maple flowers　ベニシダレモミジの花

Weeping maple leaves turn red in spring　紅枝垂れモミジは春に紅葉

Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis) and a Bug! 勿忘草（ワスレナグサ）とちっちゃい虫

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

An Instagram friend of mine, @rieo_pomegranate23, commented that forget-me-not buds are pink but its flowers are purple, so I went there again to see if that's true and I found that was true and also a tiny bug resting on one of its leaves! This is my first photo of a bug this year!!

Forget-me-not and a bug!　勿忘草とちっちゃい虫

Myosotis and a bug!　ワスレナグサとちっちゃい虫

Galls Look Like Caterpillars! (Tuberocephalus Tsengi)😱! 葉縁袋五倍子（ハベリフクロフシ）😱！

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

I wrote last year about (too) many caterpillars on a tree, but at that time I didn't know that they were not caterpillars but Tuberocephalus tsengi or galls😱!!! I've seen galls on Japanese snowbell trees, which look like flowers and contain aphids. So, these galls (on maybe a cherry tree) I saw yesterday should also contain many many aphids😱!

Galls look like caterpillars😱!　虫こぶ😱！

Tuberocephalus tsengi😱!　虫こぶ😱！

Male Flowers of Akebia Quinata (Chocolate Vine) 木通（アケビ）の雄花

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

These are male flowers of Akebia quinata or commonly known as chocolate vine. I wrote about the plant last month but the post (and the photos in it) was mainly about the female flowers. Then, yesterday I found these. Look at the pink and purple striped flowers! I couldn't help but write about them!

Male flowers of chocolate vine　木通の雄花

Male flowers of Akebia quinata　アケビの雄花

Double Pink Flowered Cherry Blossoms 八重桜

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

They're double flowered cherry blossoms. Cherry trees generally bloom from early February (e.g., Kawazu cherry and Taiwan cherry) to mid-to late March (e.g., Oshima and Somei cherry trees), then early April (e.g., double-flowered cherry and mountain cherry). So, the blooming of double flowered cherry trees means the cherry blossom season this year will soon be over. But before that, enjoy these pretty "chubby" blossoms!!

Below are the cherry blossoms I've seen this year. If you're interested in them, read these posts, too!!

• Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata)
• Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus)
• Kawazu cherry (Cerasus lannesiana)
• Pink & white Oshima cherry (Prunus speciosa)
• Weeping cherry blossoms
• Somei cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)

Double pink flowered cherry blossoms　八重桜

Double pink flowered cherry blossoms　八重桜

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

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Flowering dogwood has started to flower!! They're beautiful but also remind me of mandu dumplings😋

The cream white things that look like flower petals are actually bracts. The petals are tiny greenish yellow objects protruding from the center of the flowers. 

2023/4/1

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。

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. 

 Forget-me-not　勿忘草

 Myosotis　ワスレナグサ

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.  

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

Before the sepals open　萼片が開く前

Chocolate vine　アケビ