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This is Page 3 of 4 - the best of June 2011!
posted: June 30th, 2011
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The previous page ended at 11:27 AM on June 18th - this page begins at 11:28 AM on the same day and goes through the remainder of that day and the following day, which was the final day of the Akita-Komagatake Adventure. This page ends at that point. Click on any thumbnail to begin.

June 18th Continues From Page 2 (at 11:28 AM)
  Here are 3 shots we took of Potentilla matsumurae and Geum pentapetalum attempting to get some scenic mountain into the background. You can see Mt. Kotake (Snail Shell Mountain) in the background of all 3 of these photos.
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake207RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake207RC
Jun18_180_AkitaKomagatake_YellowFlowersRC
Jun18_180_AkitaKomagatake
_YellowFlowersRC
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake209RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake209RC

  Here is a nice shot of Viola crassa, a shot of Potentilla matsumurae and another shot of Viola crassa. Keep in mind that we are hiking the same trail which we did earlier today - down the "Big Scree Slope" Area ridge. It's later in the day and it's brighter now and to our surprise the flowers are much more abundant now.
Jun18_189_AkitaKomagatake_Viola_crassaRC
Jun18_189_AkitaKomagatake
_Viola_crassaRC
Jun18_193_AkitaKomagatake_YellowFlowerRC
Jun18_193_AkitaKomagatake
_YellowFlowerRC
Jun18_201_AkitaKomagatake_Viola_crassaRC
Jun18_201_AkitaKomagatake
_Viola_crassaRC

  Here is a shot looking right down the ridge of the "Big Scree Slope" Area. The 2nd shot was taken looking down into Moomin Valley and the 3rd shot is a nice one of Viola crassa.
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake230RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake230RC
Jun18_205_AkitaKomagatake_BigScreeSlopeRC
Jun18_205_AkitaKomagatake
_BigScreeSlopeRC
Jun18_206_AkitaKomagatake_Viola_crassaRC
Jun18_206_AkitaKomagatake
_Viola_crassaRC

  Here are 2 shots of Viola crassa with scenic mountain backgrounds and the 3rd shot shows a Dicentra peregrina bloom and also a Viola crassa bloom.
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake236RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake236RC
Jun18_211_AkitaKomagatake_Viola_crassaRC
Jun18_211_AkitaKomagatake
_Viola_crassaRC
Jun18_223_AkitaKomagatake_Dicentra_peregrina_Viola_crassaRC
Jun18_223_AkitaKomagatake_
Dicentra_peregrina_Viola_crassaRC

  In 1st position here is a large patch of Viola crassa - can you possibly imagine what this area must look like at the peak of blooming? The 2nd shot is a Schizocodon soldanelloides bloom. We have now passed that signpost shown on Page 2 in Row 6 and we are now on a new trail for us. The 3rd shot is Viola faurieana - a new violet for us! It will soon appear on our special "Violets Page" (new window).
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake259RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake259RC
Jun18_243_AkitaKomagatake_Schizocodon_soldanelloidesRC
Jun18_243_AkitaKomagatake_
Schizocodon_soldanelloidesRC
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake266RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake266RC

  Here is a final photo of Glaucidium palmatum with me kneeling down photographing something in the background. It is followed by a photo of Clintonia udensis and that is followed by a photo of Viola selkirkii f. variegata - another new violet for us. As you know - we have seen MANY specimens of normal Viola selkirkii on this trip, but this is the first time in our lives that we've seen the variegated form of it.
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake272RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake272RC
Jun18_249_AkitaKomagatake_Clintonia_udensisRC
Jun18_249_AkitaKomagatake
_Clintonia_udensisRC
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake287RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake287RC

  Here are 3 additional shots of Viola selkirkii f. variegata. We were extremely excited about finding this violet.
Jun18_258_AkitaKomagatake_Viola_selkirkii_f_variegataRC
Jun18_258_AkitaKomagatake_Viola
_selkirkii_f_variegataRC
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake290RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake290RC
Jun18_262_AkitaKomagatake_Viola_selkirkii_f_variegataRC
Jun18_262_AkitaKomagatake_Viola
_selkirkii_f_variegataRC

  Here is a final shot of Viola selkirkii f. variegata. The 2nd shot is Canadian Dogwood - Chamaepericlymenum canadense.
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake300RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake300RC
June18th_MtAkitakomagatake308RC
June18th_MtAkita
komagatake308RC

  Here are 3 amazing shots of Dactylostalix ringens - the One-Leaf Orchid! We had only seen one of this plant ever before and a photo of that plant can be found in our book "Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons" on page 129 (click on the "Our Books" link at the bottom of this page if you would like more information about our book). We sighted a total of 5 plants of this species today!
Jun18_268_AkitaKomagatake_Dactylostalix_ringensRC
Jun18_268_AkitaKomagatake
_Dactylostalix_ringensRC
Jun18_265_AkitaKomagatake_Dactylostalix_ringensRC
Jun18_265_AkitaKomagatake
_Dactylostalix_ringensRC
Jun18_271_AkitaKomagatake_Dactylostalix_ringensRC
Jun18_271_AkitaKomagatake
_Dactylostalix_ringensRC

  In 1st position in this row is our first sighting of our destination - the Kunimi Hot Spring Area. The buildings shown in this photo ended up NOT being our destination - there were actually 2 Hot Springs here and our destination was the other one. In the 2nd shot we have checked into our Inn and this shot shows the buildings we can see from the building we are staying in. In this photo - the center building is the "old" Hot Spring Building and that open window in the side of the building occasionally exhibits a naked male body walking by. The fenced area is the female portion of the building and the female outdoor bath. The small building on the extreme right of the photo is the outdoor bath for males and the structure is where a person puts his clothing and takes off his shoes. The 3rd shot is the male outdoor bath - this is the first Hot Spring we have ever seen which has GREEN WATER! This is a rarity.
June18th_KunimiHotSpring001RC
June18th_Kunimi
HotSpring001RC
Jun18_277_AkitaKomagatake_KunimiHotSpringAreaRC
Jun18_277_AkitaKomagatake
_KunimiHotSpringAreaRC
Jun18_281_AkitaKomagatake_KunimiHotSpring_GreenWaterRC
Jun18_281_AkitaKomagatake_
KunimiHotSpring_GreenWaterRC

  The first shot in this row shows me in the outdoor bath holding a handful of sulfur which I scraped from the bottom of the pool. You may note that the water is cloudier now than it was in the previous shot - that is because we have stirred up the sulfur powder. The 2nd and 3rd shots show the indoor "old bath" - it is really green. There was a long scientific explanation on the wall about why/how this appears to be green. It is 100% natural and it happens because 2 chemical components of the hot water causes a green reflection in sunlight. Under artificial light (at night) green is not evident hardly at all.
June18th_KunimiHotSpring009RC
June18th_Kunimi
HotSpring009RC
June18th_KunimiHotSpring010RC
June18th_Kunimi
HotSpring010RC
Jun18_288_AkitaKomagatake_KunimiHotSpring_GreenWaterRC
Jun18_288_AkitaKomagatake_
KunimiHotSpring_GreenWaterRC
End June 18th, Begin June 19th
  Now it's June 19th - we must go home today, so of course it is the sunniest day that we have yet seen! The first shot in this row is the indoor "new bath" with sun shining directly on the water. The 2nd shot is from our front step - it shows some nice scenery and also the parking lot for people who want to climb the mountain from this side. The 3rd shot is me walking down from the building where we stayed. We did not pay for food at this Inn - the building we stayed in had a kitchen where we cooked the food we brought with us.
June19th_KunimiHotSpring002RC
June19th_Kunimi
HotSpring002RC
Jun19_01_AkitaKomagatakeTrip_KunimiHotSpringAreaRC
Jun19_01_AkitaKomagatakeTrip
_KunimiHotSpringAreaRC
June19th_KunimiHotSpring011RC
June19th_Kunimi
HotSpring011RC

  Here is the final shot taken at the Inn - nice green forest. The 2nd image is a 2 shot panorama of Mt. Akita-Komagatake taken from Akabuchi Station - which is shown in the 3rd, and final, photo of this adventure. We headed for home from this station.
Jun19_06_AkitaKomagatakeTrip_KunimiHotSpringAreaRC
Jun19_06_AkitaKomagatakeTrip
_KunimiHotSpringAreaRC
Jun19_11_12_AkitaKomagatakeTrip_FromAkabuchiStation_PanoramaRC
Jun19_11_12_AkitaKomagatakeTrip_
FromAkabuchiStation_PanoramaRC
Jun19_07_AkitaKomagatakeTrip_AkabuchiStationRC
Jun19_07_AkitaKomagatakeTrip
_AkabuchiStationRC
End June 19th, End Page 3
Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Please continue on to page 4 for the next adventure - on June 24th - and the conclusion of June's photos. Go To Page:


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