Susuki at 生石高原 Oishi Highlands

 Autumn comes from the Sky....



.... to the top of the mountains and gradually descends to the plains.

Mt. Oishi, 870 meters high

Susuki, or Japanese Pampas Grass, spreads out on the sloped grassland with the summit of Mt. Oishi (870 meters high) at the northern Wakayama Prefecture. 

It is about three and a half hours drive from my home in Nara City.

In autumn, the slopes are covered with silver or gold veils of Susuki waving in the wind,  which attracts many visitors each year.

The path to the summit

 

花芒, which literally means "flower of susuki", is the susuki whose ears have formed. Almost all of the heads of susuki were in full ear and the rest will come into ear soon.

glinting silky white

silver

golden brown
with the backfrop of multiple layers of Kii mountain range

When caught in the sunlight, the white cotton-like ears of Susuki shines silky white, silver, or gold according to the weather or the direction of the light coming.

Susuki bend easily and gracefully in the wind, however, when they are downed to the ground, they rise up with resilience eventually.

Wakayama City in front

Landscape for 360 degrees can be enjoyed on the mountaintop and additionally, on fine days, Kobe City with the Rokko mountians and the Akashi channel bridge are visible.

The two flying things in the air are not birds but radio-controlled gliders.

Susuki has been favored as one of the seven autumn wildflowers since the ancient times.  

Its reeds were once used for thatching roofs.  Nowadays its domain is threatened by the invasive Goldenrod from America, but at this mountain, susuki is a dominat plant.

Another post about susuki: Susuki at Mt. Katsuragi