danwiz.com
This is Page 1 of 1 - the best of February 2015!
posted: February 28th, 2015

This page begins and ends with February 1st, 2015. Our only outing during the entire month of February was a trip on our bicycles to the Nogawa Park Natural Area to check out the progress of spring flowers.   Click on any thumbnail to begin.

Begin February 1st
  As the header says, we went, via bicycle, to the Nogawa Park Natural Area on February 1st. In first position in this row is a bird - this is a Bull-headed Shrike (Mozu in Japanese) - a year-round resident of Tokyo. The second shot is one of the first signs of spring for us - a Shibateranthis pinnatifida - Setsubun-sou in Japanese. We were a bit surprised to find them at such a state of blooming, we were expecting to see a few, but not as many as we saw. The third shot is a Symplocarpus foetidus - Zazen-sou in Japanese - A Type of Skunk Cabbage. We were also surprised to find this so pretty already.
Feb01_05_NogawaPk_BirdRC
Feb01_05_Nogawa
Pk_BirdRC
Feb1st_21_NogawaPark_ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC
Feb1st_21_NogawaPark_
ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC
Feb01_08_NogawaPk_Symplocarpus_foetidusRC
Feb01_08_NogawaPk_
Symplocarpus_foetidusRC

  The first shot in this row gives you a better idea of the extent of the Shibateranthis pinnatifida - Setsubun-sou in Japanese - which was already in bloom. The second shot is another bird - this is a Dusky Thrush (Tsugimi in Japanese). They migrate here from Siberia and will be gone back home by May. (Thanks to Norm F. for both of these bird names.) The third shot shows an Adonis sp. in bloom. There are only 3 or 4 Adonis plants here.
Feb1st_26_NogawaPark_ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC
Feb1st_26_NogawaPark_
ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC
Feb01_09_NogawaPk_BirdRC
Feb01_09_Nogawa
Pk_BirdRC
Feb01_14_NogawaPk_AdonisRC
Feb01_14_Nogawa
Pk_AdonisRC

  All three shots in this row show Shibateranthis pinnatifida - Setsubun-sou in Japanese. The outlined area in the first shot shows the portion that was cropped out to create the second image.
Feb01_18_NogawaPk_Shibateranthis_pinnatifidaRC
Feb01_18_NogawaPk_
Shibateranthis_pinnatifidaRC
Feb01_18Part_NogawaPk_Shibateranthis_pinnatifidaRC
Feb01_18Part_NogawaPk
_Shibateranthis_pinnatifidaRC
Feb1st_27_NogawaPark_ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC
Feb1st_27_NogawaPark_
ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC

  In first position is the final shot of Shibateranthis pinnatifida - Setsubun-sou in Japanese. The second and third images show the blossoms of Chimonanthus praecox - Roubai in Japanese. By the end of the month this species has already dropped most of its flowers.
Feb1st_57_NogawaPark_ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC
Feb1st_57_NogawaPark_
ShibateranthisPinnatifidaRC
Feb1st_38_NogawaPark_RoubaiRC
Feb1st_38_Nogawa
Park_RoubaiRC
Feb1st_39_NogawaPark_RoubaiRC
Feb1st_39_Nogawa
Park_RoubaiRC

  In first position in this row is a photo of the main "field" in the Natural Area of Nogawa Park. Note the light coating of snow. This was the most we have had on the ground during this 2014 - 2015 winter season. The second and third shots show a seedhead of the Cymbidium goeringii Orchid - Shun-ran (Spring Orchid) in Japanese. It seems that seedheads of this species are quite rare. Whatever insect pollinates this species must be in short supply when it is blooming. If you recall, we have this species growing in our porch garden and over the years, despite the fact that the plants can have 45 - 60 flowers each spring, we have only had two seedheads on our porch. The most recent photo of our porch plant is HERE.
Feb1st_68_NogawaPark_FieldRC
Feb1st_68_Nogawa
Park_FieldRC
Feb01_52_NogawaPk_Cymbidium_goeringiiRC
Feb01_52_NogawaPk_
Cymbidium_goeringiiRC
Feb01_56_NogawaPk_Cymbidium_goeringiiRC
Feb01_56_NogawaPk_
Cymbidium_goeringiiRC

  Both photos in this row show a Sapindus mukurossi (Indian Soapberry) Tree & Seedpods. According to Wikipedia "The seed pods contain saponins which are a natural surfactant. They have been used for washing for thousands of years by native peoples in Asia as well as Native Americans. Soapnuts are being considered and used for commercial use in cosmetics and detergents as well as many other products." We have collected these seedpods and played around with them. They are certainly sticky, and after you play around with them and then go to wash your hands, the sticky residue on your hands lathers nicely and removes itself simply by rubbing your hands together.
Feb01_62_NogawaPk_Sapindus_mukurossiRC
Feb01_62_NogawaPk_
Sapindus_mukurossiRC
Feb01_63_NogawaPk_Sapindus_mukurossiRC
Feb01_63_NogawaPk_
Sapindus_mukurossiRC

  Here is the final photo from our one and only outing during February. This photo shows the seedhead of the "Yuba-Yuri" (Old Women's Lily) in Japanese.
Feb1st_61_NogawaPark_LilySeedheadRC
Feb1st_61_NogawaPark
_LilySeedheadRC

End February 1st, End February 2015's Photos, Begin Miscellaneous Links
  Here are links to separate web pages - all of them will open in a new window (or new tab). 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 shows our entire DVD collection in php DVD Profiler, which is much more sophisticated than the plain vanilla DVD Profiler just above it. The 4th link takes you to a set of pages which show you the FRONT cover-art of our entire DVD collection.

January 1, 2013 - DVD Collection & Home Theater System





HERE IS

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

only search Kazuya's Blog site


Here is a small hint to let you know that we'd be thrilled to have you buy one of our books. For additional information regarding any title please click the "General Information" tab on the "Our Books" button down at the bottom of this page. Click on any thumbnail to go to its Amazon.com webpage.
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 1: Mt. Daisetsu (Mt. Asahidake Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 2: Mt. Chokai (Choukai) Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 3: Mt. Gassan Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 4: Mt. Hakkoda & Mt. Zao
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 5: Mt. Kumotori Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 6: Mt. Shirane (Kusatsu) Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 7: Mt. Shibutsu Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 8: Mt. Kiso-Komagatake
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 9: Mt. Kitadake Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 10: Mt. Mizugaki Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 11: Mt. Shiroumadake (includes Mt. Shakushidake & Mt. Yarigatake Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 12: Mt. Tate (Tateyama)
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 13: Mt. Yatsugatake (Mt. Akadake) Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons - Volume 1 of 3 (Winter & Spring) Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons - Volume 2 of 3 (Summer)
Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons - Volume 3 of 3 (Autumn) Some Violets of Eastern Japan - 2nd Edition English - Ilokano AND Ilokano - English Dictionary English - Ilokano and Ilokano - English Dictionary - With Some Notes on Ilokano Culture
A Book of Anagrams - An Ancient Word Game A Book of Anagrams - An Ancient Word Game: Volume #2 Forest Resource & Allowable Cut - Fairbanks Working Circle (Alaska) Samurai Seasons Exposed: Nipponese Outdoor Rhapsodies
Heaven and Hell in the Philippines: Journal of a Peace Corps Volunteer All Calendars Wildflowers_of_Interior_Alaska Twelvemile: Summit to Summit



An animated gif of some
of our publications
(Does Not Include 100 Mountains Series)
(34 seconds)
An animated gif of some of our Publications
For details please click the "Our Books"
Button at the bottom of the page.
An animated gif of our
Climbing a Few of Japan's
100 Famous Mountains
Series
(Paperback Editions)
(28 seconds)
An animated gif of our 'Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains' series of Books
For details please click the "Our Books"
Button at the bottom of the page.
An animated gif of our
Climbing a Few of Japan's
100 Famous Mountains
Series
(Hardcover Editions)
(26 seconds)
An animated gif of our 'Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains' series of Books
For details please click the "Our Books"
Button at the bottom of the page.


End Miscellaneous Links, End Page 1 of 1, February 2015

Thanks so much for taking the time to look at the website this month. We hope that you found something which you enjoyed. You can use the e-mail link below to respond with any feedback you might have.


(will open in new window)

Purchase Photos Complete List Of All Photos E-mail us Go to the Special Items Page
Top Of Page Lightbox Instructions Comprehensive Site Map Return to our home page



Link to Amazon.com (new window).
We get 2% of whatever you spend if you go to Amazon from this link!! Please shop on Amazon from here.
If you would like to donate to our hiking & traveling fund or show your appreciation for our efforts you can donate through PayPal. A single donation will entitle you to request a single full-sized photo IN THE DONATION MONTH - which you may then use as a desktop wallpaper or whatever. The copyright will be retained by us and the photo will be inconspicuously marked with the copyright symbol (©), year and photographer's name. (Donation probably not tax deductible.)