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posted: April 30th, 2013 |
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This page begins with April 27th and a trip to/climb of Mt. Kiritou (1,305.4 m = 4,283 ft), in Nagano Prefecture for a search for a specific violet which we had never seen before (we found it). Then we jump to April 29th and a trip out to Western Tokyo and a hike/climb to Oonara Pass for spring flowers. That ends the month of April. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin April 27th |
You probably don't remember, but on the previous page I mentioned (Row #16) that we stayed in Kofu on the night of April 26th. we got up early and took a train to Shiojiri, in Nagano Prefecture, and upon arriving there we took a taxi to the starting point for climbing Mt. Kiritou (there are no buses). We started on the trail at around 8:00 AM. The first thing we noticed were some specimens of Viola yezoensis, which we did not expect to find here. This is a violet, not so common, of our home stomping grounds. That is what you see in the first 2 shots in this row. The 3rd shot is a rather rare violet, although we have already seen it this year. It's a Viola grypoceras f. purpurellocalcarata.
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 April27th_MtKiritou 018_ViolaYezoensis_RC |
 Apr27_012_MtKiritou_ Viola_yezoensis_RC |
 Apr27_018_MtKiritou_Viola_grypoceras _f_purpurellocalcarata_RC |
In first position in this row is another shot of the Viola grypoceras f. purpurellocalcarata which we found. In 2nd and 3rd position you can see examples of Viola violacea f. versicolor. This is what we came here to find! This is the first time we have ever seen this violet. In the 3rd shot you can see that the undersides of the leaves are purplish, the top of the leaves are green and variegated, and the flower is very beautiful.
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 Apr27_019_MtKiritou_Viola_grypoceras _f_purpurellocalcarata_RC |
 Apr27_023_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
 Apr27_028_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
Here are 3 more shots of the Viola violacea f. versicolor. As this is a new species for us, and it's what we came here to find, you can expect to see several shots of it.
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 Apr27_034_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
 Apr27_035_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
 Apr27_038_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
In first position in this row is another shot of Viola violacea f. versicolor and in 2nd and 3rd position you can see examples of Viola violacea var. makinoi.
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 Apr27_039_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
 Apr27_042_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
 Apr27_047_MtKiritou_Viola_ violaceavar_makinoi_RC |
In first position here is an overview shot of Viola violacea f. versicolor. That is followed by 2 exquisite closer shots of it.
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 Apr27_054_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
 Apr27_058_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
 Apr27_067_MtKiritou_Viola _violacea_f_versicolor_RC |
As shown in this row, we were granted a rare treat in this climb. We saw a Capricornis crispus - a Japanese Kamoshika or Japanese Serow. I can't recall how many times we have seen this animal, but, its rare to see this animal. From Wikipedia: "The Japanese Serow is a goat-antelope found in dense woodland on Honshu, Japan. They stand 60 to 90 centimeters at the shoulder and weigh 30 to 130 kilograms. They are mottled brown and white and black underneath. Their fur is very bushy, especially their tails. Both sexes have short 10 centimeter horns, which curve backwards.
Japanese Serow are found in dense hillside forests where they eat leaves and acorns. They are diurnal, feeding in the mornings and evenings and resting under rock ledges for the remainder of the day. The Serow are solitary, or gather in couples, sometimes with kids as well. Generally they live in small ranges, around 20,000 square meters for individuals and up to 200,000 square meters for larger groups. Ranges are marked with a substance similar to vinegar that is secreted from the Serow's preorbital gland, which is just in front of the eye (and can be seen in all 3 of these photos). They have lived up to 10 years in captivity. Lifespan in the wild is unknown. The captive population is around 35."
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 Apr27_076_MtKiritou_Kamoshika _Capricornis_crispus_RC |
 Apr27_077_MtKiritou_Kamoshika _Capricornis_crispus_RC |
 Apr27_083_MtKiritou_Kamoshika _Capricornis_crispus_RC |
Here is a very much zoomed photo of that Japanese Serow. The frame of this photo is the same color as the horns. The 2nd photo shows me, at the Mt. Kiritou (1,305.4 m = 4,283 ft) summit sign. The 3rd photo is a Shortia uniflora, a flower which we manage to find a few of nearly every year. We found about 6 or 7 flowers on this climb.
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 Apr27_084_MtKiritou_Kamoshika _Capricornis_crispus_RC |
 April27th_Mt Kiritou141_RC |
 Apr27_089_MtKiritou_ Shortia_uniflora_RC |
Here is a 2nd shot of the Shortia uniflora flower shown previously. In 2nd position is a shot in which you can see both Viola violacea f. versicolor (right) and Viola violacea var. makinoi (left). In 3rd position is an overview shot of Viola violacea f. versicolor in which you can see where this species grows. The pines here are Japanese Red Pine (Pinus densiflora).
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 Apr27_090_MtKiritou _Shortia_uniflora_RC |
 April27th_MtKiritou211_ ViolaViolaceaFVersicolor_RC |
 April27th_MtKiritou225_ ViolaViolaceaFVersicolor_RC |
Back at the base of the mountain now and we were shocked to find this species here. All 3 shots are Viola mirabilis var. subglauca, a species which we have only found in 2 locations prior to this one. So, this is the 3rd location we now know that it can be found.
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 April27th_MtKiritou242_Viola MirabilisVarSubglabra_RC |
 April27th_MtKiritou243_Viola MirabilisVarSubglabra_RC |
 Apr27_145_MtKiritou_Viola_ mirabilis_var_subglauca_RC |
| End April 27th, Begin April 29th |
Finally, on April 29th, we went out to Western Tokyo, via a Holiday Rapid train, changed to a local train at Mitake and went to Hatonosu. The first shot in this row is a beautiful Wisteria in full bloom, taken from Mitake Station while we waited for a local train. The 2nd image is a 3 shot panorama which shows a HUGE clearcut being worked on near Mitake. As you can see, they are clear-cutting the entire mountain. They've been cutting here for 3 years - an ugly scar at THE MOST POPULAR DESTINATION for people traveling this train line. WHY?? I guess Japanese people are not turned off by ugly clearcuts! The 3rd shot shows a nice peaceful scene which we saw as we hiked the trail from Hatonosu Station headed for Oonara Pass.
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 Apr29_02_MitakeStation Area_Wisteria_RC |
 Apr29_04_05_06_Panorama_Mitake StationArea_WireRemoved_ClearcutRC |
 Apr29_09_ HatonosuArea_RC |
About the only species we found on this hike were very common ones, but the 1st and 3rd shots here show Viola sieboldi f. variegata, a species which is not so very common. The center shot is a Viola violacea var. makinoi, not common at all. And, that's all for the month of April.
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 Apr29_33_OonaraPassTrail_ Viola_sieboldi_f_variegata_RC |
 Apr29_48_OonaraPassTrail_ Viola_violacea_var_makinoi_RC |
 Apr29_41_OonaraPassTrail_ Viola_sieboldi_f_variegata_RC |
| End April 29th, End Page 4, End April 2013's Photos |
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.
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 January 1, 2013 - DVD Collection & Home Theater System   
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