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This is Page 3 of 3 - the best of April 2009!
posted: April 30th, 2009 |
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The photos on this page continue with April 17th, a trip to Niigata Prefecture, and go through the end of the month and a climbing trip in Gunma Prefecture. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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Begin April 17th, 18th & 19th
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  On April 17, 18 & 19 Kazuya and I both had 3 day weekends, so we went up towards Niigata and climbed Mt. Kakuda (481.7 m = 1,580 ft), in the town of Maki. The first picture shows the routes we climbed and descended (we climbed this same mountain on 2 different days, using different trails every time). The 2nd shot is an interesting species of Jack-in-the Pulpit (Arisaema sp.) - note the incredibly long tail on this plant. The 3rd picture is a Heloniopsis orientalis.
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  Here is another shot of Heloniopsis orientalis and then 2 shots of Viola vaginata, both the flower and the leaves.
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  Here is a picture of the flower spur of Viola vaginata. The 2nd shot is a good one of Kazuya. The 3rd shot shows the scenery from the "up" trail on our 2nd days climb. The land off in the distance is Sado Island.
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  The first shot here is a scenic shot looking inland, the 2nd shot is a scenic shot looking seaward and the 3rd shot is a Lithospermum zollingeri.
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  Here is a shot looking towards the summit of the mountain we are climbing (the far ridge, not the near little mound) and then 2 shots looking seaward. The 3rd shot was taken at the same place as the 2nd shot, it is just zoomed in to the lighthouse.
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  Here are 2 distant scenes of snow covered mountains from the summit of Mt. Kakuda and then a shot which shows how much Trout Lily (Erythronium japonicum) there was on this mountain.
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  The first photo here shows an amazing root of Viola vaginata on Mt. Kakuda - looks like these plants live for several years, eh! The 2nd and 3rd shots are Viola brevistipulata. On our 3rd day we were heading for home and got off at a town called Ojiya and hiked from there up a small valley and found these yellow violets. We really wanted to find some yellow violets - and we succeeded!!
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  Here are 2 final shots of Viola brevistipulata. These 2 shots give you an idea of how prolific these violets were in the area where we searched for them. We were extremely fortunate to find them so easily and in such numbers.     And that shows you the best of the best from our 3 day outing.
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End April 17th, 18th & 19th, Begin April 24th & 25th
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  On April 24th Kazuya and I went to Gunma Prefecture and climbed Mt. Narukami (980 m = 3,214 ft) in search of a violet we had never seen before - Viola eizanensis var. simplicifolia. The first shot shows you a scenery photo of beautiful delicate spring green colors. The 2nd and 3rd photos are the new violet. It is a simple leaved version of Viola eizanensis.
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  Here are 2 more scenery shots along the trail up Mt. Narukami. Notice the first shot is 100% cedar forest and the 2nd shot is hardwoods. The 3rd photo is a shot of the flower spur of the Viola eizanensis var. simplicifolia.
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  The first shot here shows me hiking along the trail through more hardwood forest. The 2nd shot is a different place along the trail. The 3rd shot is a great flower photo of the Viola eizanensis var. simplicifolia which we traveled here to see.
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  The first photo in this row is the final shot of the Viola eizanensis var. simplicifolia. The 2nd shot is me at the summit of the mountain and the 3rd shot shows you what we saw from the summit of Mt. Narukami.
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  The first photo here is the final shot taken on Mt. Narukami - a pretty waterfall. On April 25th we rode the Watarase Keikoku Railway from Kiryu to Mato - the entire length of this Railway Line - it follows the Watarase River through the middle of nowhere! An interesting train, as you can see, the train is only 1 car - and it was not crowded! The 3rd shot is at Mato - where we waited for a bus and took it to Nikko, and eventually took a train headed for home.
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End April 24th & 25, End Page 3, End April 2009's Photos
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  This is a link to a separate web page showing some photos of our DVD Collection, an AVI Movie of our Home Theater System and 9 photos of our Sharp Aquos TV.
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Kazuya has his - blog all updated now with his latest photos and writings and it is very beautiful. If you want to take a look at it you can find it HERE. (Click on the "Studies of Plants and Wildlife" link in the new window.)
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Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 3 for the conclusion of this month's adventures.
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