I thought about going to Sensui Valley beyond Tabayama Village. However, since it was Golden Week, the Ome Highway, which is usually not crowded in places like Kori, was congested. Thinking it would be crowded further ahead, I gave up on going there and changed my plans to Unazawa. As expected, Unazawa had few visitors and was quiet.
The fresh green leaves of trees like the katsura are beautiful.
The peace was broken by a group enjoying rock tree climbing. They were stretching a rope from the top of the uppermost waterfall of the Mitsugama Falls all the way to the bottom and gliding down like flying squirrels. Since they are entering waterfalls that are usually inaccessible, I hope they are careful about the plants growing there.
Iwata-bako (Conandron ramondioides) and Daimonji-so (Saxifraga fortunei) with their leaves growing out.Is it a Nagaba-no-sumiresaishin (Viola bissetii) or a Hikage-sumire (Viola hagiwarae)?Uwabamisou (Elatostema umbellatum). Dioecious. This is a male plant.Sawagurumi (Pterocarya rhoifolia) with its female flowers hanging down.Urinoki (Alangium platanifolium var. trilobatum).
Rashomon-kazura (Meehania urticifolia) and Kuwagata-so (Veronica miqueliana) were blooming, and the fresh green leaves of the Chidori-no-ki (Acer carpinifolium), katsura, and Fusa-zakura (Euptelea polyandra) were beautiful. A winter wren was singing, and a varied tit was hanging from a Sawagurumi fruit, picking at it.
Hime-renge (Sedum subtile). Common in damp places.Crassulaceae family. Small but beautiful yellow flowers.Rashomon-kazura. Named because the appearance of the flower resembles the demon at the Rashomon Gate.Beautiful Rashomon-kazura flower. Species are distinguished by the presence or absence of hairs on the lower lip petal. I wonder if these hairs were also likened to the hair on the demon's arm.Ripened Charumelsou (Mitella japonica). It looks like a charumera (a traditional noodle vendor's flute).Mamushi-gusa (Arisaema serratum).Gaku-utsugi (Hydrangea scandens). The leaf shape resembles that of the Deutzia (Utsugi).Gaku-utsugi with its neat flowers. It is not in the Hydrangeaceae family, but the Hydrangeaceae family.Kuwagata-so. In the same genus as the Persian speedwell (Veronica persica). Plantaginaceae family.Chidori-no-ki. It already has fruit. This is a female plant. It is now classified in the Sapindaceae family, with only the genus name remaining as Acer.Urinoki with its interesting flowers.
On the way back, there was a Japanese serow near the gate. Perhaps it was a bit older, as it seemed relaxed and didn't pay much attention to us, continuing to eat hydrangea leaves and the like.
A Japanese serow. It was near the forest road. It is a species endemic to Japan. Because they are docile, they are sometimes called "niku" in some regions.It continued to graze even with us there. They are rare in overseas zoos.Occasionally, it would be on alert. You can see the preorbital gland under its eye.It was large and its fur was dirty, so perhaps it was an older one.
