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Friday, April 19, 2024

Sakura season, 2024 (Part 2)

~Sakura from prime blooming to farewell~

- 茶山園地 Chayama-enchi, Nara Park -

Chayama-enchi, a small hilly woods hidden at the foot of 若草山 Mount Wakakusa, 
is abundant of double-flowered 奈良の九重桜 Nara-no-kokonoe-zakura,
which is endemic to Nara.


This is a quiet place.
I love to see Deer eating Sakura petals or resting peacefully on the Sakura carpet.
Sakura petals are spring delicacy of deer.

A Sakura petal in his mouth

While Sakura blossoms usually have 5 sepals, this variety has uniquely as many as 10 sepals.
It's a shame that Nara-no-kokonoe-zakura rarely get noticed in spite of its beauty and rarity.
Probably because their blossoming time falls on the Somei-yoshino's all around.
 



After keeping low position to take photos of deer for a while, it's so refreshing to look up.
 


 - 佐保川 Saho River -

This is the second time I walked along the river during this Sakura season.

Pathway along the river

Is it snowing?
No, constnatly falling petals of Sakura blossoms.

April 13th

 Departing one after another in the breeze; this is the gentle farewell of Sakura.


Petals in the shimmering pink water.


It's still beautiful even though the trees have less blossoms.


Green leaves replace flowers once the petals fall.
Season is changing into the new leaves of soft to bright green hues.


A bird took off to the next stop.



 - 若草山 Mt. Wakakusa -


The grassy 若草山 Mount Wakakusa, 342 meters high, is a nice place 
to enjoy the panoramic views of Nara City and as far as Kyoto and Osaka.
The summit is easily accessible as I wrote in Let's climb Mount Wakakusa!

April 14th



Relaxing deer under Sakura blossoms at  the summit.


Less blossoms on branches, more petals in the air and on the ground.
Sakura season is already over in Nara  and the Sakura front has moved far to the northern Japan.


Academic year starts in April in Japan.
My youngest grandchild M entered Elementary School when Sakura was in full bloom.
Pupils walked to and from the school under the canopy of blossoms along the school road.

Performance of rythmic gymnastics

Why do cherry blossoms bloom at a certain time?  

The science behind Japans cherry blossoms explains the "importance of winter."

  1. After the flowers fall off, the tree makes new buds in summer.
  2. The buds get into sleep in fall.
  3. Chill air of winter wake them up to make themselves swell gradually
  4. When spring comes and it gets warmer, the buds bloom.

Warm weather (above 15 degrees C) of March makes the buds open.  So, I had thought that  the cold weather of this March delayed the blooming about one week later than usual. That's right partly, but there is more significant reason.

Warm weather alone won't make the flowers bloom. They need  enough cold spell of weather  in winter to wake up in the spring.  In January and February of this year, the winter cold was often interrupted by spring-like or even early-summer-like warmth.  If our winter becomes more and more warm due to the climate change, I wonder what would become of Sakura blossoming in the southern part of Japan.


26 comments:

  1. ...these are fabulous images, the deer are special. Spring wouldn't be special without winter!

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  2. The deer seem so content. The bountiful blossoms and watery reflections show us how amazing and glorious nature can be. These warmer temperatures, however, threaten all life so we must support those who seek to improve conditions that we humans created.

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  3. Hello Yoko
    I love the Sakrra blossoms, they are beautiful trees. The deer are so cute, they seem calm around people. Gorgeous collection of photos. Your mosaic of your grandchildren is cute! Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy your day and happy weekend.

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  4. hello dear Yoko !
    this is always truly a pleasure to join your walks in parks bursting with spring beauty :)
    the deer look majestic and serene ,their presence making the views complete certainly ,thanks for amazing images always that shine in my heart for long .
    the spring event at your grandchildren school looks lovely so are your grandkids :)
    special thanks for explaining how season serve the cherry blossom to bloom well wow
    more blessings to you and loved ones !

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  5. Delightful pictures Yoko !
    Absolutely gorgeous...
    Sakura and deer...what a beautiful combination !
    Lovely and colorful mosaic !
    Have a lovely weekend !
    Anna

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  6. Very interesting post Yoko. In my country, your country is called the beautiful Land of the Rising Sun. Lovely pictures of roe deer, deer and cherry flakes. It's nice with you, I'd like to visit your country one day. Sakura is a wonder of nature! Your photographs are always wonderful and professional. Have a good weekend, Yoko, cheers.

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  7. How amazing and what a wonderful experience to take a camera and take photos. I love those in the water with the reflections of the tree branches. Everything is beautiful...in every direction!

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  8. I just found your blog, through Eileen's Criters. It's amazing to me to see deer that are so tame they just sit and stand there while people walk around them. The Sakura blossoms are indeed beautiful. Thanks for these great photos, as well as the information about the blooms' process with the seasons. Yes climate change is bringing about a lot of different things that we are all surprised by.

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  9. Parabéns pelo belo blog, fotos maravilhosas!

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  10. Your phots are beautiful. I visited Nara only once, in autumn, so I did not see the blossoms. We are enjoying many flowering trees and plants here now as well.
    best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  11. Dear Yoko - I feel a sense of sadness as the blossom time draws to its close, but your lovely photos of Sakura's simmering pink blossom will last forever.
    I hope that your youngest grandchild M is enjoying her Elementary School and the fact that she started when Sakura was in full blossom will be a special memory for her.

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  12. Hi Yoko,
    Sakuras are such delicate and beautiful flowers that it is always a pleasure to admire them.
    Fantastic photos, of the sakura trees and the deer.
    My son went to see a sakura festival in Copenhagen today, the city where he lives, he was enchanted.
    The mosaic with the children was so beautiful and colorful.
    Greetings from Maria

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  13. So much poetry in this post, dear Yoko, which fills me with joy. You've managed to capture some fabulous moments, you have a knack for it - as we say here in Germany. And nice to see the children too.

    Thank you for sharing with MosaicMonday
    Have a pleasant week. Greetings from Heidrun

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  14. So wonderful to see the deer and the Cherry Blossom flowers.
    Back in the day, there used to be a color film by the name Konica, which I think eventually changed to Sakura - I am reminded of that too.
    Thanks for sharing with all of us. Be well!

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  15. Personally, I prefer to see deer not friendly with humans, but it seems to be how life is evolving as humans multiply. It is a very lovely deer to see, as the cherry blossoms fall. Love the stroll through all your beautifull photos.

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  16. Awesome!
    I'm happy to finde Your blog by "MosaicMonday"

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  17. Such beautiful photographs.
    I hope that your grandchild M is enjoying her School.

    All the best Jan

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  18. Sweetest little things at the end, time flies. As you said: From prime blooming to farewell. It is the law of Nature, yet, it is sometimes difficult to accept. Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws! Did you remember Shakespeare's jubilee, Yoko? Sending warmest Hello from our spring.
    Irina

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  19. Obrigada por sua gentil visita e comentário em meu blog!
    Beijos! Bom fim de semana! ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

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  20. Your photos are absolutely stunning, Yoko!
    Love the mosaic of your grandchildren.

    Happy Tuesday!

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  21. Preciosa lluvia de pétalos, amiga. Es un espectáculo natural que gusta de ver. También los ciervos, se ven muy tranquilos enttre la gente, por aquí no los vemos. Lindo te ha quedado el mosaico del nieto entre las flores. Le deseo un buen curso.
    Buena semana y Mayo Yoko.
    Un abrazo.

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