Mt. Takao (May 20th)

Choaspec benjaminii (Aoba seseri)

Today's course:
Keio Takao-san-guchi sta. - No. 6 Trail - Top of Mt. Takao - No. 4 Trail - No. 1 Trail - Takao-san-guchi sta.

We went to Mt. Takao today to see if any Pseudopyxis depressa (Inamorisou) came out yet. We have never seen them before, so we have no idea what it looks like, and couldn't find any either this time. Near the No. 4 trail we found some Asarum tamaense (Tama no Kan Aoi) plants blooming. We have seen Asarum nipponicum (Kan Aoi) at the same area before, but this time was the first time for us to recognize the different species of Asarum.

イナモリソウを探しに高尾山へ行ってきました。未だに見たことがなくて、今回も見つけることはできませんでした。まだ花期には早いのかなあ…　セッコクも まだ早いようです。双眼鏡で一株、花を付け始めた株を確認できただけでした。変わりにタマノカンアオイの花を見つけました。同じエリアでカンアオイは沢山 あるのは知っていたのですが、やはり実際に見てみると両者がかなり違うことが分かります。


Asarum tamaense (Tama no Kan Aoi)
The leaves are shiny, which is the difference from Asarum nipponicum (Kan Aoi).
カンアオイと違って、タマノカンアオイの葉には照りがあります。


Asarum tamaense (Tama no Kan Aoi)
Flower looks pretty different from the one of Asarum nipponicum (Kan Aoi).
タマノカンアオイの花期は４月から5月ごろ、1月ごろに咲いているカンアオイとは、花期も花の形状もかなり異なります。


Asarum tamaense (Tama no Kan Aoi)


Asarum nipponicum (Kan Aoi)
カンアオイの葉は照りがありません。


Calanthe discolor (Ebine)
I think this one is a sprout of an orchid... We will go there to check once again in a while.
多分、エビネだと思うのですが…　またしばらくしたら確認しに行こうと思います。

Takao Area (May 5th)

Paeonia japonica (Yama Shakuyaku)

Today's course:
Keio Takao-san-guchi sta. - No. 6 trail - Mt. Takao summit - Icchou daira - Mt. Kobotoke Shiroyama - Hikage - JR Takao sta.

We went to Mt. Takao today to see if any new plants came out yet since our last visit around this area about a month ago. At the No. 6 trail beside the creek we found Viola maximowicziana (Ko Miyama Sumire) at the sligtly darker place under the forests beside the creek. Their leaves are so characteristic that they hardly look like the leaves of violets. There were filled with people today, even at the No. 6 trail, which is usually fairly not so popular trail. At the top of Mt. Takao there were lots and lots of people having lunch, which made us to feel like as if we had been in Harajuku or somewhere. At the sunny ridge on the way to Icchodaira we found some Polygala japonica (Hime Hagi) and Viola mandshurica (Sumire) flowers. The cherry flowers were all gone and now they had some tiny green cherry fruits. The field around Icchoudaira was all changed and covered with taller bush and grass, where we had found lots of violets at the last visit. At the Hikage area we happed to see 2 ladies looking at something white off the trail. They were looking at the Paeonia japonica (Yama Shakuyaku) flowers shining white under the dark cedar forest. It was first time for us to see them grown in wild. They were really beautiful and elegant flowers. At Hikage most of the violet flowers were gone with leaving their bigger leaves on the ground. Only Viola verecunda (Nyoi Sumire) spreaded well showing their small white flowers beside the trail. We found Meehania urticifolia (Rashoumon Kazura) flowers, too.

およそ一ヶ月ぶりに高尾山へ行ってきました。予想以上に沢山のハイカー、家族ずれでにぎわっていました。6号路では、コミヤマスミレの花が咲いています。 あるご婦人の話では、イナモリソウの芽も出てきているとのことでした。（自分はまだ見たことがないのですが…）日影沢では、あんなに沢山咲いていたスミレ 類は花期を終えて、大きく葉を茂らせています。葉は葉で見ていて楽しいものです。唯一、花の盛りを迎えているニョイスミレを見ながら歩いていると、林床に 白く輝くマリのようなものを見つけました。はっとして目を凝らすと、やはりヤマシャクヤクでした。思わず清楚で可憐な花に出会えて、とても幸せな気持ちに なりました。


Viola maximowicziana (Ko Miyama Sumire)


Viola maximowicziana (Ko Miyama Sumire)


Viola maximowicziana (Ko Miyama Sumire)
Backside of the leaf.






Can you see the sepals curling up?
萼片がカールして反り返っているのが見えますか？


Polygala japonica (Hime Hagi)
ヒメハギって、本当に面白い顔してますよね。


Viola mandshurica (Sumire)


Viola verecunda (Nyoi Sumire)


Viola verecunda (Nyoi Sumire)
こんな洒落た色合いのニョイスミレもありました。


Deutzia crenata (Utsugi)
もう五月、ウツギの白が緑にまぶしい季節です。


Meehania urticifolia (Rashoumon Kazura)

Kori to Mt. Mitake (May 4th)

View from a bridge near Kori sta.

Today's course:
JR Kori sta. - Mt. Ootsuka - Mt. Mitake - walked down to the river - JR Mitake sta.

We climbed up to Mt. Mitake from Kori station for the first time today. On the way to the ridge to Mt. Ootsuka, we saw lots of Viola bisseti (Nagaba no Sumire Saishin) leaves, which grew bigger after flowering. The spring green leaves are so beautiful on the ridge and found some Viola sieboldi (Fumoto Sumire) here and there to Mt. Ootsuka and Mt. Mitake. At the top of Mt. Mitake we found lots of Viola grypoceras (Tachitsubo sumire), but that kind was practically the only kind of violet you could see there this time of the year. Viola bisseti (Nagaba no Sumire Saishin) and Viola eizanensis (Eizan Sumire) plants got bigger leaves left on the ground without flowers. On the way down to the cable car station at the bottom of the mountain we found some Viola keiskei (Maruba sumire) here and there. There were lots and lots of people and cars there. There was even traffic jam for the cars waiting for the parking lots on the way to the cable car station. At the river we soaked our feet and drank some beer, and then took trains back home from Mitake sta.

古里駅から大塚山経由で御岳山に行ってきました。新緑の色合いもだいぶ深みを増してきたように感じます。奥多摩方面もGWのためか多くの人でにぎわってい ました。大塚山周辺ではフモトスミレが見られましたが、アケボノスミレもほとんど終わりかけで、ナガバノスミレサイシンは大きな葉だけを残しています。御 岳山頂上周辺ではタチツボスミレが沢山咲いていましたが、その他のスミレは花期を過ぎたようです。頂上から下る立派な杉並木ではマルバスミレをまだ見るこ とができました。多摩川の冷たい水に足をつけて、ビールを飲んで休憩した後、御嶽駅より帰路に着きました。



Viola sieboldi (Fumoto Sumire)


Viola keiskei (Maruba Sumire)


Viola keiskei (Maruba Sumire)
上の形のものよりもこちらの方が良く見かけるような感じでしょうか。

Mt. Jinba from Fujino Sta. (May 3rd)

Wild wisteria at Fujino.

Today's course:
JR Fujino Sta. - Ichi-no-one ridge - Mt. Jinba (857 m) -Narako Pass - Narako ridge - JR Fujino Sta.

Today we went to climb Mt. Jinba for the first time. Fujino town is pretty beautiful place covered with spring green and you could see the wild wisteria flowers here and there in the mountains. Quite a few house yards also had the wisteria flowers, so we could even smell the sweet smell in the breeze. We climbed mostly under the hardwood forest, which had still early-spring soft green leaves. There weren't so many violets we could find, but there were lots of Disporum smilacinum (Chigo Yuri) flowers covered the ground under the forests. We had lunch at the top of Mt. Jinba, and then took another trail back to the Fujino station. Somehow, we both felt it was pretty easy hike all the way. We were back to the station early enough to get the free bus to a hot spring place, Higashiotaru-no-yu, which is runned by a hospital right next to it. The hot spring water is alkarine (ph 9.73) and the place is middle of no where surrounded by the mountains. We enjoyed the hot spring for 3 or 4 hours and then took the free bus back to the station and took trains back home.

藤野駅から 陣馬山に行ってきました。駅からほんの少し歩いただけで緑あふれる景色に囲まれる、想像以上に素敵なところでした。新緑の中、あちらこちらで藤の花が咲 いていました。スミレ類はあまり見られないようでしたが、新緑の足元では、チゴユリが地面を埋め尽くさんばかりに咲き競っていました。下山後、駅へ戻る途 中、無人販売所でコシアブラを購入して、駅から無 料の送迎バスに乗り、ふじの温泉「東尾垂の湯」で疲れを癒してきました。内湯は１００％、源泉かけ流しらしく、肌がすっきりとする感じのとてもよい温泉 でした。


Disporum smilacinum (Chigo Yuri)


Viola phalacrocarpa (Akane Sumire)


The statue of horse at the top of Mt. Jinba.


Fujino Spa "Higashiotaru-no-yu".