Ashio and Nikko, Gunma/Tochigi (April 25th)

Motou Station on the Watarase Keikoku Railroad.
This area used to be famous for its copper mine.


Only one car train.
You can enjoy the riverside view from JR Kiryuu Station.



Watarase river near Matou Station.


Wild monkey found near Motou station.


We took a bus from Matou Station.
And here is the entrance of Botanical Gardens, Nikko of Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo.


Rhododendron metternichii var. pentamerum (Azuma Shakunage).


Rhododendron keiskei (Hikage Tsutsuji).


Ficedula narcissina (Kibitaki).


Cyanoptila cyanomelana (Ooruri).


Yuba (soybean card) Soba noodles at Nikko.


JR Nikko Station. (In front of this station, most of the shops were closed. On the contrary, near another Nikko Station on Toubu Line area, there were quite a few shops and people.)

Mt. Narukami (April 24th)

Beautiful Greens.
At the entrance of the trail to Mt. Narukami.

We went to Mt. Narukami today. Around 9:00 AM we arrived at Kiryuu Station, and then took the bus to the entrance of one of the trails. At the bottom of the mountain we found the plant of Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire) after flowering. This kind of the violet is really weird, because their leaves are pretty different from the usual Viola eizanensis (Eizan Sumire). We found more of them with nice flowers when we were closer to the top of the mountain. We saw a beautiful bluebird, Cyanoptila cyanomelana (Ooruri) at the top of Mt. Narukami.


Viola mandshurica (Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola verecunda (Nyoi Sumire).


Bright green colors.


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola rossii (Akebono Sumire).





Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).
This one is pretty white, so can we call this Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia f. leucantha (Narukami Sumire)?


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).
こんなに沢山あるとは…普通のエイザンよりも、むしろヒトツバエゾスミレの方が多い印象でした。


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola rossii (Akebono Sumire).
桜みたいに花びらに切れ込みがはいってます。


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Viola eizanensis. var. simplicifolia (Hitotsuba Ezo Sumire).


Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense (Akayashio).



Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense (Akayashio) from the top of Mt. Narukami
.

Cyanoptila cyanomelana (Ooruri).


Rhododendron pentaphyllum var. nikoense (Akayashio).


Primula kisoana (Kakko-sou).


A small waterfall.

Ojiya, Niigata (April 19th)

JR Ojiya Station.

This morning we left Yoshida Station for Tsubame Sanjou Station, and then took the Shinkansen to Nagaoka. From there we took local train to Ojiya. Why did we do there? Because I wanted to find some yellow violets before we were back home. We stayed there only for a couple of hours, but we found lots of the yellow violets.


Viola brevistipulata (Ooba-ki-sumire).


Viola brevistipulata (Ooba-ki-sumire).


Viola brevistipulata (Ooba-ki-sumire).


Viola brevistipulata (Ooba-ki-sumire).


Viola brevistipulata (Ooba-ki-sumire).


Viola brevistipulata (Ooba-ki-sumire).
Backside of the flower is yellow. It is different from Viola orientalis (Ki-sumire).


Viola brevistipulata (Ooba-ki-sumire).


Dichocarpum nipponicum (Azuma Shirokane-sou).


The spring just started around there.

Mt. Kakuda, Niigata (April 18th), Part II

Viola violacea var. makinoi (Makino Sumire).
At the top of Mt. Kakuda.


The view from the place near the top of the mountain.


You can see Mt. Gassan and Mt. Choukai far away.


Luehdorfia japonica (Gifu-chou).


Luehdorfia japonica (Gifu-chou).
I have never seen this kind of butterfly before.
The larval host plants are wild gingers species of the genus Asarum.


Anemone pseudoaltaica (Kikuzaki Ichige).


Sado Island.


The closeup of Sado Island.


Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna (Oo Misumi-sou).


Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna (Oo Misumi-sou).


Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna (Oo Misumi-sou).


Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna (Oo Misumi-sou).


Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna (Oo Misumi-sou).


Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna (Oo Misumi-sou).


Hepatica nobilis var. japonica f. magna (Oo Misumi-sou).
This plant has so many variations of the colors and shapes. That is why the local people try to protect this plant from being stolen.


Viola yezoensis (Hikage Sumire).


Viola yezoensis (Hikage Sumire).
We found these kind only at a small area at the bottom of the mountain.


Viola grypoceras var. rhizomata (Tsuru Tachitsubo Sumire)?


Acanthopanax spinosus (Yama Ukogi).
A woman was picking these young leaves to eat.
I've heard people in Yonezawa area of Yamagata have this plant. The place is a little close to that area, so they may have the similar food custom.


Jonnobi-kan. The local hot spring place.
We took bath before going back to the Maki Station.