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This is Page 5 of 5 - the best of May 2010!
posted: May 31st, 2010
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This page continues where Page 4 left off - on May 22nd and a climb of Mt. Mitake and Mt. Ohtake. That was the final adventure of the month. Click on any thumbnail to begin.

May 22nd Continues From Page 4
  As we hiked along the trail we found these cute little plants in full bloom. They are Disporum smilacinum. The center shot was taken along the trail looking up - forest & rocky mountain.
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_066_Disporum_smilacinumRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_066
_Disporum_smilacinumRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_030_Forest_RocksRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_
030_Forest_RocksRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_068_Disporum_smilacinumRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_068
_Disporum_smilacinumRC

  At the summit of Mt. Nabe-Wari (1,084 meters = 3,556 feet) we ate part of our lunch and took a break for a while. We also found a Viburnum phlebotrichum (first photo). The 2nd photo is the summit sign. Then - as we hiked along Kazuya spotted these "snowballs" way down below us on this incredibly steep slope. We immediately recognized them as Paeonia japonica - Wild Peonies. Heavens - this is the 2nd time we've found this rare flower this month. Twice in one month is astounding, especially as we've only seen them in bloom in a single previous year (May 2007). There were 2 patches of them and well over a dozen blooms in all. Sorry, I also showed you some of these flowers on Page 4 in Rows 8 & 9. If you understood how rare it is to see this flower you would quickly understand.
May22nd058Nabewari_ViburnumPhlebotrichumRC
May22nd058Nabewari_
ViburnumPhlebotrichumRC
May22nd057NabewariRC
May22nd057
NabewariRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_080_Paeonia_japonicaRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_
080_Paeonia_japonicaRC

  Here are 3 more Paeonia japonica shots. This time I have mostly inserted only those photos which show HOW MANY flowers there were. In the first shot I can count 8 flowers. In the 2nd shot there are at least 5 flowers. In the 3rd shot there are a minimum of 9 flowers showing.
May22nd065Oodake_PaeoniaJaponicaRC
May22nd065Oodake
_PaeoniaJaponicaRC
May22nd072Oodake_PaeoniaJaponicaRC
May22nd072Oodake
_PaeoniaJaponicaRC
May22nd067Oodake_PaeoniaJaponicaRC
May22nd067Oodake
_PaeoniaJaponicaRC

  Here are 3 more shots of Paeonia japonica. The first shot is a close-up. In the 2nd shot there are at least 7 blossoms and in the 3rd shot there are 5 blossoms.
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_085_Paeonia_japonicaRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake
_085_Paeonia_japonicaRC
May22nd083Oodake_PaeoniaJaponicaRC
May22nd083Oodake
_PaeoniaJaponicaRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_096_Paeonia_japonicaRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake
_096_Paeonia_japonicaRC

  Here are 2 additional shots of Paeonia japonica and the summit sign of Mt. Ohtake (1266.5 meters = 4,155 feet).
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_103_Paeonia_japonicaRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake
_103_Paeonia_japonicaRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_113_Ohtake_SummitRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_
113_Ohtake_SummitRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_108_Paeonia_japonicaRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake
_108_Paeonia_japonicaRC

  As we came off Mt. Ohtake we found this plant. You may mistake it for another flower which I have showed you with the April Photos. It is NOT the same plant though. This is Schizocodon ilichifolious f. purpureiflorus. It grows in places similar to the Shortia uniflora which you saw back in April's photos, but as you can see - it is not even the same genus.
May22nd107Oodake_SchizocodonIlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22nd107Oodake_Schizocodon
IlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22nd111Oodake_SchizocodonIlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22nd111Oodake_Schizocodon
IlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_118_Schizocodon_ilichifolious_f_purpureflorusRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_118_Schizocodon
_ilichifolious_f_purpureiflorusRC

  Here are two final shots of Schizocodon ilichifolious f. purpureiflorus and a 2 photo Panorama showing Forest Blowdown from this past winter. Note how some trees are true blowdown - the roots torn out of the soil by the winds. But, note that some of the damage is breakage caused by wind. This is a rather uncommon phenomena - trees are strong enough (and limber enough) so that they don't usually break off like matchsticks.
May22nd118Oodake_SchizocodonIlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22nd118Oodake_Schizocodon
IlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22nd125Oodake_SchizocodonIlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22nd125Oodake_Schizocodon
IlichifoliusFPurpureiflorusRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_133_34_Stitch_BlowdownRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_133
_34_Stitch_BlowdownRC

  In this row is a species of Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum sp.) and then 2 shots of a very tiny flower Scrophularia musashiensis.
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_139_Adiantum_spRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake
_139_Adiantum_spRC
May22nd142Oodake_ScrophulariaMusashiensisRC
May22nd142Oodake_
ScrophulariaMusashiensisRC
May22nd144Oodake_ScrophulariaMusashiensisRC
May22nd144Oodake_
ScrophulariaMusashiensisRC

  Here is a final shot of Scrophularia musashiensis and then 2 shots taken from the Mitake Train Station of a Clear-cut. Amazingly, the Japanese people will never utter a complaint about this kind of activity - at least not to anybody except the people they happen to be traveling with. There is no "Sierra Club" or equivalent. The 3rd shot is zoomed in to the lower left-hand corner of the Clear-cut.
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_145_Scrophularia_musashiensisRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_145_
Scrophularia_musashiensisRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_158_Mitake_ClearcutRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_
158_Mitake_ClearcutRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_159_Mitake_ClearcutRC
May22_Mitake_Ohtake_
159_Mitake_ClearcutRC
End May 22nd, End Page 5, End May 2010's Photos
  Here are links to separate web pages. The first link shows some photos of our DVD Collection, an AVI Movie of our Home Theater System and 9 photos of our Sharp Aquos TV. The 2nd link shows our entire DVD collection in DVD Profiler (if you're asking yourself what might be good to rent for the weekend). The DVD's will be sorted by date purchased. You can click on the "Title" Column to sort that way if you desire. The 3rd link takes you to a set of pages which show you the FRONT coverart of all of our DVDs.
February 22, 2009 DVD Collection,
Movie of Home Theater System
& TV Pictures
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Link to DVD collection in DVD Profiler
Click Here.
(new window)
Our DVD Collection
Front Coverart Pages
Click Here.
(new window)


Please check it out by clicking on the above button.
(Click on the "Studies of Plants and Wildlife"  link in the new window.)

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