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This is Page 2 of 3 - the best of April 2008!
posted: April 30th, 2008
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The photos on this page begin with April 12th in far western Tokyo doing some climbing, then continue to Mt. Takao and include a camp-out at I-Ccho-Daira. This page ends with April 16th. Click on any thumbnail to begin.

Begin April 12th
  On April 12th Kazuya and I went out to the Hinohara area of far Western Tokyo. We hiked up to the Mazukari Ridge and hiked along it. In this first row you can see a shot of the river where we started our trek. In the 2nd shot you have the very best shot of Mitella pauciflora we have ever succeeded in getting! In the 3rd shot you you see an escaped domestic violet - Viola sororia.
Apr12_HinoharaRiver01RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara
River01RC
12Apr_Mazukari_Mitella_pauciflora02_BESTRC.jpg
12Apr_Mazukari_Mitella_
pauciflora02_BESTRC
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola_sororia01RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola_
sororia01RC

  The first shot in this row shows Kazuya at Tengu Waterfall, the 2nd shot is of the Cedar Forest around the Aya Waterfall area and the 3rd shot is Aya Waterfall.
Apr12_Hinohara_Tengu_Waterfall07RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara_Tengu
_Waterfall07RC
12Apr_Mazukari_CedarForest02RC.jpg
12Apr_Mazukari_Cedar
Forest02RC
Apr12_Hinohara_Aya_Waterfall04RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara_Aya_
Waterfall04RC

  The first shot here is Tsu-Tzu-Ra Rock (picture title spelled incorrectly) - notice the rock climber. The next 2 shots show Shortia uniflora. We were very excited to find this very beautiful and delicate flower. We only found one of them along this trail last year. This year we found LOTS of them. They always grow in the most precarious spots possible, making getting to them for photos very scary and dangerous.
Apr12_Hinohara_Tsu_Tsu_Ra_Rock03RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara_
Tsu_Tsu_Ra_Rock03RC
12Apr_Mazukari_Shortia_uniflora08RC.jpg
12Apr_Mazukari_Shortia
_uniflora08RC
Apr12_Mazukari_Shortia_uniflora08seRC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_Shortia
_uniflora08seRC

  Here is a photo of me shooting a Shortia uniflora, Kazuya doing the same thing and another shot of the plant itself.
12Apr_Mazukari_Shortia_uniflora22_DanRC.jpg
12Apr_Mazukari_Shortia
_uniflora22_DanRC
Apr12_Mazukari_Shortia_uniflora22_KazuyaRC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_Shortia_
uniflora22_KazuyaRC
Apr12_Mazukari_Shortia_uniflora23RC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_
Shortia_uniflora23RC

  The first shot here shows some scenery from Mazukari Ridge. The next shot is a Viola chaerophylloides f. sieboldiana - a fairly rare violet for us to find. The final shot is a Viola sieboldi. This was one of the main flowers we came here to find. It is SO TINY that it's really hard to focus on and get good shots of.
Apr12_Mazukari_Scenery02RC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari
_Scenery02RC
Apr12_Mazukari_Viola_chaerophylloides_f_sieboldiana01RC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_Viola_
chaerophylloides_f_sieboldiana01RC
Apr12_Trail_Viola_sieboldi25RC.jpg
Apr12_Trail_Viola_
sieboldi25RC

  Here are 2 more photos of Viola sieboldi and a photo of Viola rossii with the delicate pink colored flower and the rolled up leaves.
Apr12_Trail_Viola_sieboldi35RC.jpg
Apr12_Trail_Viola_
sieboldi35RC
Apr12_Trail_Viola_sieboldi36_BESTRC.jpg
Apr12_Trail_Viola_
sieboldi36_BESTRC
Apr12_Mazukari_Viola_rossi01RC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_
Viola_rossi01RC

  Here are 2 final shots of Shortia uniflora and me at the summit of Mt. Tsuru-Ashi (916 meters = 3,005 feet).
Apr12_Mazukari_Shortia_uniflora26sbRC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_
Shortia_uniflora26sbRC
12Apr_Mazukari_Mt_Tsuru_Ashi_Dan02RC.jpg
12Apr_Mazukari_Mt_
Tsuru_Ashi_Dan02RC
12Apr_Mazukari_Shortia_uniflora47RC.jpg
12Apr_Mazukari_
Shortia_uniflora47RC

  Here is Kazuya at the summit of Mt. Tsuru-Ashi. The 2nd shot is another photo of Viola rossii and the final shot is a Viola tokubuchiana var. takedana.
Apr12_Mazukari_Mt_Tsuru_Ashi_Kazuya02RC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_Mt_
Tsuru_Ashi_Kazuya02RC
Apr12_Mazukari_Viola_rossi07RC.jpg
Apr12_Mazukari_Viola_
rossi07RC
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola_tokubuchiana_var_takedana07RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola_
tokubuchiana_var_takedana07RC

  The first shot here is a weird one - the flowers look like Viola bissetii but the leaves appear to be Viola rossii. The 2nd shot is a Viola bissetii.
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola_bisseti09RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola
_bisseti09RC
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola_bisseti10RC.jpg
Apr12_Hinohara_Viola
_bisseti10RC
End April 12th, Begin April 15th
  On April 15th and 16th Kazuya had to work, but I wanted to get out and do something, so I climbed Mt. Takao and hiked to I-Ccho-Daira and camped out there. The first shot in this row shows a weirdly red Viola eizanensis. The next shot is a very beautiful clump of Mountain Azalea. The 3rd shot is the Mountain Cherry at its peak of blooming.
Apr15_Takao_Viola_eizanensis_RED06scRC.jpg
Apr15_Takao_Viola
_eizanensis_RED06scRC
Apr15_ICchoDaira_Tr_Azalea06RC.jpg
Apr15_ICchoDaira_Tr
_Azalea06RC
Apr15_ICchoDaira_Yamazakura04RC.jpg
Apr15_ICchoDaira
_Yamazakura04RC

  A clump of Red Pine showing sunset colors on them, next shot is one of the Red Pines and Mountain Cherry in the background. The 3rd shot is the moon through the Cherry Blossoms - I took this shot looking pretty much straight up from my tent spot.
Apr15_ICchoDaira_RedPine02RC.jpg
Apr15_ICchoDaira_
RedPine02RC
Apr15_ICchoDaira_RedPine_YamazakuraRC.jpg
Apr15_ICchoDaira_RedPine
_YamazakuraRC
Apr15_ICchoDaira_Yamazakura_Moon05RC.jpg
Apr15_ICchoDaira_
Yamazakura_Moon05RC
End April 15th, Begin April 16th
  This shows my camping spot on the morning of April 16th. The next shot is a nice shot of what is probably some kind of sparrow and the 3rd shot shows my camp spot from the trail on the opposite ridge line. Amazing, eh!
Apr16_ICchoDaira_Yamazakura_Tent01RC.jpg
Apr16_ICchoDaira_
Yamazakura_Tent01RC
Apr16_Kobotoke_Sparrow03CropRC.jpg
Apr16_Kobotoke_
Sparrow03CropRC
Apr16_ICchoDaira_FromHikageRoad07RC.jpg
Apr16_ICchoDaira_From
HikageRoad07RC

  Here is a Viola obtusa a colorful shot of Chrysosplenium macrostemon var. atrandrum and a beautiful Takao Violet with its purplish leaves (Viola yezoensis f. discolor).
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_obtusa03RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_
obtusa03RC
Apr16_Hikage_Chrysosplenium_macrostemon_var_atrandrum03RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_Chrysosplenium_
macrostemon_var_atrandrum03RC
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis_f_discolor05RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis
_f_discolor05RC

  The first shot here is an Oxalis griffithii var. kantoensis another shot of a Takao Violet and a shot of what is locally called Yama Buki.
Apr16_Hikage_Oxalis_griffithii_var_kantoensis06RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_Oxalis_griffithii
_var_kantoensis06RC
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis_f_discolor17RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis
_f_discolor17RC
Apr16_Hikage_Yama_buki02RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_
Yama_buki02RC

  And - here are 2 final shots of Takao Violet. This is a violet which we really like to see every year. It is uncommon except in small macro-environments.
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis_f_discolor23RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis
_f_discolor23RC
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis_f_discolor36RC.jpg
Apr16_Hikage_Viola_yezoensis
_f_discolor36RC
End April 16th, End Page 2
And, that shows you what we saw from April 12th through the 16th. Thanks so much for taking the time to look. Please continue on to Page 3 for the conclusion of this month's adventures. Go To Page:


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