The land awakening in March

“Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn.”

 

- At the Native Plants Garden of Kyoto Prefecture Botanical Garden -

"Setsubun-so", or Shibat eranthis pinnatifida Maxim, was named so 

because they bloom around “setsubun”, the day before the beginning of spring in lunar calendar.

Hepatica Noble's var. japonica f. magna（オオミスミソウ), generally called Hepatica

In nature, life's coming and going is inevitable.

The translucent films resembling the butterfly wing had been made since the last summer.

They show a warm patina with age.

The sprightly crocus blossoms always make me sure spring is on the way.

In the water-colored wood, Daurian redstar sings merrily before flying back north Siberia

for breeding in early spring.

"Jobitaki", or Daurian redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) 

Doves would hardly be able to wait for the springtime.

Repeating cold days and warm days in turn, the land is awakening with spring around the corner.

"Ume", or Japanese apricot; floral harbinger of spring

Five years have passed since The Great East Japan earthquake (3.11, 2011) which devastated coastal Tohoku region. As far as I learn from the media, the condition of victims' lives doesn’t seem to be so much improving. Many people still live in temporary housing and their city close to the nuclear power plants is still gray zone for living without clear answer from the government. No matter how harsh the conditions, spring for sure has visited the region to cheer up the people but not the spring in real life yet.

Pray for the Tohoku people the real spring sooner,
when laughter passes over that land with flood of joy after long, long perseverance.

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