posted: March 31st, 2014 |
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This page begins and ends with March 29th and climbs of Mt. Kagenobu (727 m = 2,385 ft) for the 11th time, Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama (670 m = 2,199 ft) for the 47th time and Mt. Takao (599 m = 1,965 ft) for the 103rd time. The purpose of our climbs today was to check on the progress of spring and spring flowers. We had good success and covered a lot of ground.    Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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Begin March 29th |
  As the header says, on March 29th - Saturday - we went out to the countryside and climbed Mt. Kagenobu, Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama and Mt. Takao. We were, of course, in search of spring flowers. We found them too, as you shall see. The first 2 shots in this row are of Euptelea polyandra (Fusa-zakura in Japanese). We saw this tree as we hiked up the road from the Bus Stop to the start of the trail. The 3rd shot is of Viola grypoceras and was also taken along the road between the bus stop and the trailhead. It appears that spring flowers are out!! |
Mar29_01_MtKagenobu_ OnTheRoadBeforeTrailRC |
Mar29_02_MtKagenobu_ OnTheRoadBeforeTrailRC |
Mar29_05_MtKagenobu_ Viola_grypocerasRC |
  Here are 2 more shots of Viola grypoceras lower down on the trail. The 3rd shot is one major thing which we came here in search of - the Cymbidium goeringii orchid - Shun-ran (Spring Orchid) in Japanese. |
Mar29_06_MtKagenobu _Viola_grypocerasRC |
Mar29_13_MtKagenobu _Viola_grypocerasRC |
Mar29_17_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
  Here are 3 shots of the Cymbidium goeringii orchid - Shun-ran (Spring Orchid) in Japanese. The center shot shows the interior really well. In the 3rd shot note that this plant has 2 flowers. |
Mar29_20_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
Mar29_27_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringii_CropRC |
Mar29_23_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
  Here are an additional 3 shots of the Cymbidium goeringii orchid - Shun-ran (Spring Orchid) in Japanese. Note that the first shot in this row is a plant which has 3 blossoms. It strikes us as interesting that in the wild we always find just single plants of this species. But, our porch the Cymbidium goeringii orchid increases in size every year. We have not shown you a photo of our porch Cymbidium goeringii in several years because it's a real bother to erase out all of the porch stuff in a photo. The most recent ones are HERE. In Row 2 on that page note how large the plant has become - that is what we have never seen in the wild. In the wild it's always just 1 plant by itself. |
Mar29_30_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
Mar29_33_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
Mar29_36_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
  In this row it's again 3 shots of Cymbidium goeringii, but the center shot is of Kazuya pointing to a single plant on a steep slope. Steep slopes in hardwood forests is where we always find them. It kind of looks like a trail there, but it is not. If anything, it is a seldom used animal trail. |
Mar29_39_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
Mar29_45_MtKagenobu_Cymbidium _goeringii_KazuyaRC |
Mar29_49_MtKagenobu_ Cymbidium_goeringiiRC |
  Here is the final shot of Cymbidium goeringii, probably until next year. The 2nd shot shows the summit marker of Mt. Kagenobu. The 3rd shot is a directional sign. We came from Kobotoke Bus Stop (3.6 kilometers), we'll continue on to Kobotoke Pass, pass over Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama - which is not shown on the sign - and then continue on to Mt. Takao and take Trail #3 down Mt. Takao. |
Mar29th_MtKagenobu035_ CymbidiumGoeringiiRC |
Mar29_54_MtKagenobu _SummitSignsRC |
Mar29_55_MtKagenobu _SummitSignsRC |
  There has been a mountain rest and snacks and liquor place here at the summit of Mt. Kagenobu for a long time - probably 50+ years. They have pictures from a long time ago. They put this tiny clearcut for viewing Mt. Fuji here a long time ago - the tree stumps are nearly all rotted away. Today was a fine day for viewing Mt. Fuji from here. The center shot shows me standing in front of a sign which points towards Mt. Jinba. |
Mar29_56_Mt Kagenobu_MtFujiRC |
Mar29th_Mt Kagenobu049RC |
Mar29_60_Mt Kagenobu_MtFujiRC |
  Here are 3 more shots of Mt. Fuji taken from the summit of Mt. Kagenobu. The 1st and 3rd shots are 2-shot panoramas. |
Mar29_63_65_MtKagenobu _Panorama_MtFujiRC |
Mar29_62_Mt Kagenobu_MtFujiRC |
Mar29_71_72_MtKagenobu __Panorama_MtFujiRC |
  WOW! We are already at the summit of Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama. And, this is, of course, Mt. Fuji as seen from that summit. The first 2 shots were taken from approximately the same location as seen in the October 2013 Index Page (September 2013's Photos), which you can see HERE. The 3rd shot is the first Viola tokubuchiana var. takedana that we have seen this year! |
Mar29_77_MtKobotoke Shiro_MtFujiRC |
Mar29_80_81_82_MtKobotoke Shiro_MtFuji_TMDE_AdjRC |
Mar29_95_MtTakao_Viola_ tokubuchiana_var_takedanaRC |
  Here are 2 more shots of Viola tokubuchiana var. takedana and sandwiched in between them is a shot of a seed-tree clearcut just below the summit of Mt. Kobotoke-Shiro-yama. |
Mar29_96_MtTakao_Viola_ tokubuchiana_var_takedanaRC |
Mar29th_Mt KobotokeShiroyama083RC |
Mar29_107_MtTakao_Viola_ tokubuchiana_var_takedanaRC |
  After we passed by Mt. Takao and headed down trail #3 we found the most incredible concentration of 2 kinds of violets on a small sunny hillside! The first 2 shots show Viola grypoceras and the 3rd shot shows another Viola tokubuchiana var. takedana. |
Mar29_115_MtTakao _Viola_grypocerasRC |
Mar29_116_MtTakao _Viola_grypocerasRC |
Mar29_119_MtTakao_Viola _tokubuchiana_var_takedanaRC |
Click the above button for a Special Page dedicated to most of the Violets which we have identified with confidence. |
  We are still photographing that incredible concentration of violets on a small sunny hillside. Here is one shot of Viola tokubuchiana var. takedana and 2 shots of Viola grypoceras. |
Mar29th_MtTakao128_Viola TokubuchianaVarTakedanaRC |
Mar29_123_MtTakao_ Viola_gryopcerasRC |
Mar29_125_MtTakao_ Viola_gryopcerasRC |
  The first photo in this row shows the most area of any shot we took at the small sunny hillside covered with violets. These all appear to be Viola grypoceras. The 2nd shot is another of Viola tokubuchiana var. takedana. Now we are moving on, and the next shot is of a curious little plant - Omphalodes japonica. |
Mar29th_MtTakao140 _ViolaGrypocerasRC |
Mar29th_MtTakao146_Viola TokubuchianaVarTakedanaRC |
Mar29th_MtTakao152_ OmphalodesJaponicaRC |
  In first position in this row is the most incredible shot of Viola eizanensis. Generally the flowers of this violet are pretty much 100% white, but you can see in this photo that these have a very definite reddish color to them. The 2nd image was cropped out of the photo which is in 3rd position so that we could shot you a larger version of the flowers. Those 2 shots are of Omphalodes japonica. |
Mar29_137_MtTakao _Viola_eizanensisRC |
Mar29th_MtTakao153_Piece _OmphalodesJaponicaRC |
Mar29th_MtTakao153_ OmphalodesJaponicaRC |
  Here is a final shot of Omphalodes japonica and then a shot of Viola bissetii aka V. bisseti. We only found a few blooms of Viola bissetii today, much to our surprise. |
Mar29th_MtTakao159_ OmphalodesJaponicaRC |
Mar29_144_MtTakao _Viola_bissetiRC |
  Here are the final 2 shots which we want to show you and they are both of Viola bissetii. |
Mar29_149_MtTakao _Viola_bissetiRC |
Mar29th_MtTakao178 _ViolaBissetiiRC |
End March 29th, End March 2014's Photos, Begin Miscellaneous Links |