White Early Amethyst (Callicarpa Japonica F. Albibacca) コシロシキブ（小白式部）

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This is white early amethyst (Callicarpa japonica f. albibacca). I've seen early amethyst, which is purple, many times and photographed them through the year from buds to flowers and to fruits but saw white fruits for the first time. 

Early amethyst is native to Asia and can be found across Japan. It produces flowers in clusters from July to August and tiny drupes also in clusters from September to November. Its Japanese name is "koshiro shikibu," meaning white "komurasaki," which translates to "small East Asian beautyberry" because early amethyst and East Asian beautyberry resemble each other but the former is smaller than the latter.  

The Japanese names of early amethyst and East Asian beautyberry both contain "muraski," which means purple and Murasaki Shikibu or Lady Purple. Lady Purple is a Japanese novelist, poet and court lady at the Imperial court in the Heian period (794 - 118), known as the author of The Tale of Genji, which is often said to be the world's oldest long novel.

2025/10/3

Auaxa Sulphurea キエダシャク（黄枝尺）

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The summer is finally over this year and signs of autumn are here in Tokyo, one of which is the return of butterflies and moths. This is Auaxa sulphurea, one type of geometer moth. If it hadn't moved, I would have thought it was a leaf. 

Auaxa sulphurea is seen across Japan and also Taiwan and can be easily identified by the horizontal brown red line. The caterpillars feed on plants usually in the rose family, known to mimic a rose twig.  

2025/9/23

Blue-Striped Nettle Grub (Parasa Lepida) ヒロヘリアオイラガ（広縁青毒棘蛾）

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What do you see in these photos? I thought it was a strange-shaped grasshopper but you know what? It's a moth! A blue-striped nettle grub (Parasa lepida). I found this on the backside of a leaf of a "drunken" Confederate rose tree. It is a native minor pest found in the Indo-Malayan region, including India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia according to Wikipedia and as an introduced pest, it's currently found across Japan now. The adult (this one) is colorful and cute but its larvae have spines that contain venom. 

 

2025/8/14

Pagoda Tree (Styphnolobium Japonicum) エンジュ（槐）

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Cream yellow flowers scattered on the ground made me look up and find a Japanese pagoda tree (Styphnolobium japonicum). 

Japanese pagoda trees are native to China, coming to Japan at the latest in the 8th century, and now can be found across Japan in parks and schools. As you can see in the 4th photo, the Japanese pagoda tree is in the Fabaceae family.

2025/8/16

2025/8/16

Okra (Abelmoschus Esculentus) オクラ

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I've eaten okra countless times, yet this is my first time seeing the plant in bloom. Its flowers closely resemble Hamabo hibiscuses—which is no surprise, as both are in the Malvaceae family. Native to East Africa, okra was introduced to Japan at the end of the Edo period (1603–1867) and is now a staple in dishes like salads, tempura, miso soup, stews, and sautéed sides.

2025/8/15

Tall Stewartia (Stewartia Monadelpha) ヒメシャラ（姫沙羅）

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Tall stewartia (Stewartia monadelpha) is native to Japan and can be found in the Kanagawa prefecture (next to Tokyo) and the southern areas. The plant is in the Theaceae family, the same as Japanese camellia. You can see the resemblance of the flowers to camellias. Tall stewartia produces flowers from May to August and fruits generally from October to November but a tree in my neighborhood fruited in August last year and has started to fruit since July this year. And that's not the end. After turning brown, the fruits crack, which look like a crow screaming! (Scroll down! That's funny.) 

2025/5/31

2025/5/31

2025/5/31

2025/7/10

2025/7/10

Virginia Pepperweed (Lepidium Virginicum) マメグンバイナズナ（豆軍配薺）

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Virginia pepperweed or least pepperwort (Lepidium virginicum) is native to North America and its existence was first confirmed in Japan in the Meiji era (1868 - 1912). Virginia pepperweed resembles shepherd's purses (Capsella bursa-pastoris) very much, but while the fruits of shepherd's purse are triangle shaped, Virginia pepperweed's fruit shape is rounder, resembling that of small "gunbai," a type of Japanese war fan. Gunbai were once held by samurai leaders and priests but now used by (only) umpires in sumo wrestling. The gunbai shape is that of the fruits in the 1st photo. 

2025/7/9

2025/7/9

Blue-Tailed Forest Hawk (Orthetrum Triangulare Melania) オオシオカラトンボ（大塩辛蜻蛉）

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This is a blue-tailed forest hawk (Orthetrum triangulare melania). The dragonfly can be found across Japan from June to September. Its blue gray body is so beautiful that I wanted to photograph it from above and side, but couldn't. That's a big difference from photographing plants, which don't move unless it's windy so you can come back the following day but which also makes the moment more memorable. 

Like blue skimmers, female blue-tailed forest hawks are not blue but yellow.

2025/7/1

Robber Fly (Asilidae) ムシヒキアブ（虫引虻）

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This is a robber fly or assassin fly (Asilidae). As suggested by the name, robber flies attack and eat mainly other insects, even wasps. Some websites say the robber fly is one of the most powerful predatory insects. This robber fly, however, didn't show any sign of such aggressiveness while I was taking these photos, just resting on a leaf. 

2025/6/26

Yellow Spotted Stink Bug キマダラカメムシ（黄斑亀虫）

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Eggs of the yellow-spotted stink bug (Erthesina fullo) hatch into nymphs, as shown below.

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Below is a record from June 12, 2025, when I found their eggs for the first time.

On June 12, 2025, I found a circle the size of a quarter on a Chinese tallow leaf. Five days later, on June 17, they looked like the fifth photo. And they became like those in the sixth photo on June 18. Each bug is small, but you can clearly see that they are yellow-spotted stink bugs. They haven't just changed in appearance; they have also started to move around. The one in the upper right of the sixth photo was running toward the back of the leaf. They might not be there tomorrow, which makes me feel a bit sad but also highly relieved.

2025/6/12

Yellow Green Lacecap Hydrangea 黄緑の額紫陽花

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The hydrangea season in Japan should be soon over because of the heat spell this week, which has started earlier than usual despite the rainy season. Then, I found this yellow green hydrangea. The bloom should turn pinkish, reddish, and/or purplish as other hydrangeas do or turn brown or die due to the high temperatures. So, I'm writing this post to keep records of these beautiful pale yellow green sepals.  

2025/6/17

2025/6/17