Pages

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Colors turning Winter to Spring

Okame-zakura, prunus x incam 'Okame'

 It is not 桜 Sakura (Cherry blossom) season yet, but early-blooming Sakura blossoms 
have brightened up the wintry landscape with their shades of Pink.


White-eye

The three images above is Okame-zakura, prunus x incam 'Okame'.
They bloom in the cold of the beginning of March almost at the same time with 
Ume (Japanese apricot) below.

Ume, Japanese apricot

Sunlight glints on the Sepia-colored weathered plants and icy Blue pond.



A Pigeon looked out among Light brown fallen leaves to pick up food.


Deep-rose of 寒緋桜 Kan-Hizakura, Taiwan cherry, Prunus campanulata, 
is especially eye-catching.
It is another variety of early-blooming Sakura.
Bell-shaped flowers bloom facing downward. 
Although most of Sakura loses its petals fluttering one by one, 
the petals of Prunus campanulata fall in clusters. 





The buds of 雪柳, Spiraea thunbergiithat unfold in early March are Mint.
About one month of the journey to white flowers blooming all over the branches starts here.

March 5th

Light Green is also seen at a brook flowing with a soft murmur 
and reflecting the greening along it.


Bright Yellow of Mimosa against a backdrop of bare trees;
the juxtaposition of spring and winter.




Taking turns winter and spring, season has progressed.
 Sakura season for 2024 is expected to peak from late March to early April 
in my part of Japan, Kansai region.
Sakura season lasts only "less than two weeks" when Somei-yoshino, 
the most widely planted variety, come and go all at once.
In wider meaning, Sakura season is about "one and a half months" long in each region,
as different varieties of Sakura start blooming one after another since the end of February.
(All the photos but one was taken at Nagai Park and its vicinity on March 10th.)

Saturday, March 2, 2024

梅 Ume blossoms - Perseverance and Hope

The blossoms of 梅 Ume, Prunus mume, are the faint-fragrant harbinger of spring in Japan.
They typically bloom one after another between late January and early March
persevering the frigid cold of winter.
At this time of year, it feels like that weather gets warmer with each new bloom.
In various different places, the first bloom of Ume was the earliest in record this year.

Ume in my garden

I went to 城南宮 Jonan-gu, which was built to protect the south of Kyoto from evil spirit
 when the capital was transferred to Kyoto in 794.
On entering one of its gardens called "春の山 Spring Mountain", 
I felt like that white and pink snowflakes were drifting all around.




Almost all the Ume trees that cover all over the Spring Mountain are weeping type.
The cascading branches with blossoms as far as you can see are mesmerizing.
Under them, a pink carpet of petals spreads on the green moss.



Admired and photographed by so many visitors, the blossoms look in the pink.






The green moss is dotted with the fallen red Camellias around the edges of the Spring Mountain.





Ume blossom is the symbol of Perseverance and Hope.

Peace for Illia 
for all the suffering people from wars
 Illia Bondarenko & Ryuichi Sakamoto

Camellias are another highlight of the shrine at this time of year.


Linked to Mosaic Monday

Monday, February 19, 2024

Water balls, light, and bokeh

I like to capture dancing light with bokeh effect.


During the coldest days of the warm winter, I played with colored balls 
in a crystal bowl with my camera.

By the window



In the sunlight outside



The balls look so delicious, don't they?
You can't eat them; the objects are not candies.
Tiny beads made of sodium polyacrylate swell to five times their volume in water.
The small balls jiggle like jiggly jelly.


Zooming up, each aqua gel ball has a cute face.




What is water balls?


Heavy shadow of despair descended.
An early death of the source of hope for a better country.
He died but his idea does not,
His voice "Never give up" resonates. 


Linked to Mosaic Monday