Ogesawa (Kogesawa) and Hikage, Takao (March30th)

The View from the entrance to Ogesawa creek.

Today we went to see the violets at Ogesawa creek in Takao. There were lots of people waiting the bus to Kobotoke from Takao sta. even on Monday. Most of them were older guys. It is nice that many people are getting interested in the nature, but I wonder how many of them really appreciate it without spending time chatting or stepping on the precious flowers without noticing. For example, Hikage area has been getting worse and worse. Hope they will study more about the nature and enjoy it "quietly".
About the flowers, Ogesawa was really amazing this time of the year. Not as many people as in Hikage, either. But still, some Obasan or somebody stole a stem of trillium flower just 1 hour or so after we had taken the picture of it. "Why!?" I have no idea what such a stupid thinks of.


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).


Viola keiskei (Maruba Sumire).


Viola eizanensis (Eizan Sumire).


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).


Feels nice in the forrest. You can hear some wren singing.


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).
Nice healthy leaves.


Viola yezoensis f. discolor (Takao Sumire).


Viola yezoensis f. discolor (Takao Sumire).


Anemone flaccida (Nirin-sou).


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).


Asarum caulescens (Futaba-aoi).


Viola eizanensis (Eizan Sumire).


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).


Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin)?


Omphalodes japonica (Yama Ruri-sou).


Omphalodes japonica (Yama Ruri-sou) and Viola bissetii (Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin).


Viola eizanensis (Eizan Sumire).


Chloranthus japonicus (Hitori-shizuka).
They are just starting by the Ogesawa creek.


Omphalodes japonica (Yama Ruri-sou).
It seemed more plants were growing this year.


Omphalodes japonica (Yama Ruri-sou).
You can find the pink flowers, too.


Viola eizanensis (Eizan Sumire) and Viola grypoceras (Tachitsubo Sumire).


Oxalis griffithii var.kantoensis (Kantou-miyama-katabami).


From here, the pictures were taken around the Hikage area.


Erythronium japonicum (Katakuri).
At the yard near the entrance to the Hikage creek.


Dichocarpum trachyspermum (Tougoku-saba-no-o).


Dichocarpum trachyspermum (Tougoku-saba-no-o).
It is so tiny flower, but it is really pretty.


Viola yezoensis (Hikage Sumire).
I saw this one by the Hikage creek.


Viola yezoensis f. discolor (Takao Sumire).


Anemone flaccida (Nirin-sou).

Koishikawa Botanical Garden, Hakusan, Tokyo (March 29th)

Cerasus jamasakura (Yamazakura).

We went to see the cherry blossoms at the Koishikawa Botanical Garden attached to Tokyo University near Hakusan subway station. The cherry blossoms were not in peak yet... The flowers were opening about 40 % or so. However, we found the another flower which we expected; Viola diffusa (Tsukushi Sumire). They originally grow around a part of Kyuushu and Okinawa, but somehow you can see them in this garden. We found a nice weeping cherry tree and had lunch with a little bit of Sake near that tree.


Viola yedoensis (Noji Sumire).


Viola diffusa (Tsukushi Sumire).
It has little bit of purple and yellow-green on the white petals.


Viola diffusa (Tsukushi Sumire).


Viola diffusa (Tsukushi Sumire).
It has a pretty short spur.


Viola diffusa (Tsukushi Sumire).
You can tell how tiny this flower is.


The cherry garden.


Trigonotis peduncularis (Kyuuri-gusa).
The flowers are 2-3 mm or so. It looks like really tiny forget-me-not flowers.
This is treated as just a weed, but it is one of my favorite flowers.


Viola confusa ssp. nagasakiensis (Hime Sumire).
It might look pretty big, but please compare it with the size of the tiny Creeping Woodsorrel leaves.


Prunus × yedoensis (Cherry "Someiyoshino").


Prunus apetala (Chouji Zakura).
The "Chouji" means the spice, cloves.
The flower shape looks like cloves.


Another kind of cherry.


Prunus × yedoensis (Cherry "Someiyoshino").


Prunus jamazakura var. praecox (Kanzakura).
This one has already finished blooming and now has beautiful green leaves.


Prunus spachiana (Shidare Zakura).


Viola grypoceras (Tachitsubo Sumire).


Fritillaria verticillata var. thunbergii (Baimo).


Viola grypoceras f. variegata (Akafu Tachitsubo Sumire).


Prunus × yedoensis (Cherry "Someiyoshino").


Viola japonica (Ko Sumire).


Veronica hederifolia (Furasaba-sou).


Veronica cymbalaria (Kogome Inu-no-fuguri).
In this garden, these white veronica grow much more than the usual blue ones; Veronica persica (Oo-inu-no-fuguri).