Studies of Plants and Wildlife: Takao Area (May 5th)

May 5, 2007

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。