Flowers and Fruit - We've Got Some Poison Here

 Ornamental Tree Happens to Be a Killer

Yesterday three of us headed north with the cameras. Overcast weather is great for waterfalls.

Doc and I got with an old friend. I'll call him TC because Typhoon Condition is hard to spell.

We stopped at a bridge, crossing Haneji Dam to shoot a few photos and stretch our legs.

Lining the road, just before the bridge, were these trees with some sort of red fruits.

There were samples which had fallen to the ground. Some were red, others brown.

TC and I had to pick them up for closer examination. They were sort of sticky.

It seemed like a good idea, to wash our hands and we did, using wet lens tissues.

It's always fun, trying to identify flowering trees so, I took a photo of these flowers.

With an image, containing flowers and the leaves and identification may be easy.

After an hour of internet searching, I gave up and decided to try the library.

They have an awesome crew at the Kin Town Library. You just have to speak Japanese.

It's been a long time since I've bothered them for information on plant identification.

Most of the staff know me. I saw a few new faces. Soon, the whole joint was helping me.

Before long, they had this one nailed down. And, I even got the Latin terminology.

Identification

English Name: Sea Pong Pong or Pink-eyed Cerbera

Scientific Name: Cerbera manghas

Japanese Name:  ミフクラギ (Mifukuragi)

WARNING: The fruits and leaves are poisonous if, you eat them.

Hunters have used the sap of this tree to kill animals.

People have been known, to do themselves in with the poison, too.

It's sometimes called "suicide apple" by folks in the Hawaiian Islands.

A bit of Madagascar Mythology: The seeds were used to poison kings and queens.

There's Good News Too

The roots and bark of the tree can be used to make a laxative.

Timber from this plant can be used for carving and furniture.

And the wood can be burned, to make high-quality charcoal.

References:

Flora Fauna Web

Wikipedia

Flower and Bee GIF - Plus Hydrangea Report #1 for 2017

At Yohena Garden Today

Up north, went to check the hydrangea (ajisai for Japanese) blossoms.

Things were looking sort of grim. The parking area was empty; our first clue.

When we walked to the booth, where you pay to enter, it was abandoned, too.

Going up the hill, there were a few scraggly-looking flowers, partially blooming.

There's no sense, driving all that way, with cameras and lenses, to come home empty handed.

So, a decision was made, to go all the way to the top of the hill, to visit Mrs. Yohena.

If, my calculations are correct, she'll be 100 years old, this year.

Up at the little cafe, I met her son. He remembers me from years gone by.

Doc Graff and I, chatted with him and found out the real deal. Flowers are late this year.

He says, full bloom for hydrangeas will be around the middle of next month.

The gardens will be crawling with flower fanatics from June 1st until the 15th or 20th.

Bee and Yellow Flower

They seemed like worthwhile subjects so, I flipped the Pentax on to rapid fire.

The name of the blossom, escapes me at the moment but, I'll get it later.

Climbing that hill, gets old dudes tired. I went all the way up, almost.

Some gals from Hong Kong were the only other visitors and, they were taking pictures, too.

Neither Doc nor, I speak Chinese but, some of those girls spoke English.

So, you can probably guess, what I did. Got permission and, shot them, too.

It's a good idea if, you're shy (like me) to just start talking to strangers.

Lots of people get scared, when they see me coming but, I know what to do.

Especially girls, just blow them kisses, wave or say, "Merry Christmas."

That's what I do. And usually if, they don't run away, it's easy to talk to them.

Bees and flowers well, occasionally I get caught, talking to them, too.

 End of Report


Yohena Gardens May 17, 2015

Flower Photo: Orange Hibiscus in February

Tired of Snow?  Visit Okinawa

It gets a little chilly and windy sometimes, around here but, it doesn't snow.

Out back this morning, I was doing slome stretching and, suddenly stopped.

The brain was tired from testing yesterday and, the body was sore, too.

When I spotted this flower, it gave me an idea. Shoot it for the poor folks in snow country.

I listened to my brain and body, cancelling physical training for the day.

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 50MM

Exposure:  f/2.5   1/4000   ISO 800

Location:  Kin Town Okinawa Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 16 2017  8:35 AM

Plant and Flower Photos: Cobra Lily

Musashi Abumi (ムサシアブミ) in Japan

 

 

The flower is shaped like an antique samuri stirrup used on warriors saddles.

In the Western world, it is said, to resemble a cobra snake, poised to strike.

The plants grow well in moist forest soil  and, are found in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

This one, I should take a marker pen and, draw some eyes on for you.

It's potted in a planter at a shaded spot of the wife's garden and, I shot it with the Canon G12.

This plant was purchased at the Natural Stone Garden in Motobu, Okinawa. 

Learn More About the Japanese Cobra Lily at:

Great Plant Picks

Missouri Botanical Garden 

Plant Lust

Weblio (Japanese)

Flower Photo: Simple Sakura

Just a Cherry Blossom

 

 

Not to worry, about Teru Teru Bozu; the thing miraculously survived yesterday.

Even though it rained most of the day, a few minutes of sunshine, were spotted. 

Being the kind of creator I am, the wicked rascal got a pardon. And, the sun shined today.

About 100 cherry blossoms were taken, on a four hour camera walk today.

Standby for some sort of Sakura Report, on Kin Town, tomorrow.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 300MM with 1.4 converter - Focal Length 420MM

Exposure:  f/5.6   1/125  ISO 200 W/Camera Flash

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  JAN 31  2016  1:56PM

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Gigantic Hibiscus Flower Blooming Down the Street

Gargantuan Best Describes It

 

 

This was discovered, while walking the back-roads of town yesterday.

To stay out of the blazing sun, I walk in the shadows of the side streets, sometimes.

This humongous flower, caught my attention so, I stopped and shot it with the camera.

It's too bad, nobody was around to assist me.

It would have been nice, if someone came along to hold one of my flip-flops next to it.

That would give you a sense of scale.  I swear, the thing was bigger than my face.

If the flower is still there, I may get another chance to photograph it for you.

Meanwhile, you get get see, just how big my flip-flops really are ! 





You May Also Like:

15 Hibiscus Photos from Ie Island in Okinawa

All You Need o Know About Hibiscus

Flower Photo: Red Spider Lily AKA Hurricane Lily

Higanbana (ヒガンバナ) in Japan

An autumn equinox flower, botanists call this plant Lycoris radiata.

One source tells us if, you meet someone you will never see again, these flowers will pop up.

A trail of them will sprout behind you !

Over at About.com they call this a Surprise Lily or, Naked Lady. 

Flower Pictures Organization shows a few other varieties of the plants and flowers. 

The bulbs, shouldn't be eaten (poisonous) according to NC State University. 

Learn more about the plants and, order them at Southern Living. 

There's even a gal named Spiderlily over on Facebook so, I liked her 'cuz she's an artist !

Flower Photo: White Trumpet Lily -- AKA Easter Lily

A Wildflower in the Ryukyu Islands

 

 

Returning from an uneventful morning, chasing birds, I spotted this lily.

This year, I skipped the Lily Festival on Iejima.

And, Easter passed by, before I realized the holiday had occurred.

Teppouyuri (テッポウユリ) in Japanese

 

 

An American soldier took bulbs from this plant, in Okinawa, to Oregon in 1919.

Soon, they were being produced and sold commercially in North America.

The Easter Lily capital of the world is now on the west coast of the USA.

Over 90% of the potted Easter lilies are started on just 10 farms from California to Oregon.

People in Hawaii, figured out how to save the plants and, grow their own.

The scientific name for this flower is Lilum longiflorum.

If you are a cat person: Caution These Plants Are Poisonous to Cats !

In Australia, they tell you how doctors treat cats who ate these flowers.

In Japan, we just say,  sayonara !

For those who managed to read this far, a bonus:

10 Common Plants You Didn't Know Were Toxic

Japanese readers visit Wildlife Okinawa

Flower Photo: Bird of Paradise and a Photo Tip

What Happens in Okinawa

 

 

Yesterday, we took a little camera trek, down to the south of the island.

It had been the second time, in a week, I visited Sueyoshi Park.

Map It Okinawa dude and, a good doctor were on this trip.

The mission, we were on, was to teach the doctor some tricks of the camera trade.

Two days prior, I had photographed this Bird of Paradise flower.

In too much of a hurry, I didn't pay enough attention to the background.

There was something distracting in the image so, I threw the photo away.

In my backpack, I keep a clipboard with different colored backgrounds to use.

The doctor and I, took turns adjusting the background and shooting the flower.

We used black and white and, could have experimented with red but, didn't.

To me, the black background, looks the best.

TIP: Always bring along some portable background material for flower photography.

White material can also be used as a windbreak or, reflector board.

Back in Canada

 

 

When the doctor gets home, he may want to print the Bird of Paradise photo.

So, it's a good thing, we altered the scenery a bit.

We don't want everybody in Canada, looking at what was behind that black board.

Just in case, you're curious and want to know what we were hiding, I let you know.

It was snail crap !

Native Plant of South Africa

 

 

This is also called: Crane Flower or, Crane Lily.

The scientific terminology: Strelitzia reginae

Resources:

FLORIDATA

Hawaiian Plants and Tropical Flowers

Planzafrica

Guidebook of Landscaping Plants in Okinawa ISBN4-900668-63-X

Flower Photo: Fringed Hibiscus

These delicate flowers were blooming in many locations, before the last typhoon.

One day, as the wind started picking up, I went out and rescued this one.

A black background was utilized to make the colors pop, for you.

Indoors, using available light, I shot it without any wind interference.

The flower is also known as Spider Hibiscus, Coral Hibiscus or, Japanese Lantern.

I sort of like the Latin name: Hibiscus schizopetalus

They seem to have all blown away during the last typhoon.

My guess, is that they are really hardy plants and will spring to life again soon.

Flower Photos: St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

It's Byouyanagi (ビョウヤナギ) in Japan

 

 

These bright yellow flowers on plants with dark green leaves bloom here in May.

Over the past two years, they caught my attention, when I went to see the Ajisai flowers.

The flower had me stumped and was sitting in a pending file.

Now We Know It's St. John's Wort for Sure

 

 

This year, the flowers were under some horrible light so, I didn't shoot them.

But, I spotted a label on one of the plants.

The gal who likes to flip peace signs at my camera, helped.

She, pulled the label out from under some bushes so, I could shoot a photo of it.

Then, I used my magic translation and search engine stuff to get a scientific name.

We Have an Interesting Herb Here

 

 The New Healing Herbs ISBN 0-553-58514-2 says it's a premier antidepressant.

Yearly sales, around the globe used to total $10 million.

They jumped to over $550 million when its antidepressant qualities became known.

Mind you, I'm looking at an old 2001 copy of the book.

The National Institutes of Health seems concerned about safe use of St. John's Wort.

  

University of Maryland says it might be used to treat mild or, moderate depression.

Over at WebMD:  Some scientific evidence, the herb could be used for mild depression.

The Biggest Skeptic of All

 

 

A doctor, who wrote for Quackwatch makes taking this herb, sound scary.

He skillfully, uses another doctor's name, I think, for racist stuff.

Like, a scientific study, conducted outside English speaking countries, could be false.

The dude and many doctors, around the world, got me thinking.

They don't want people using herbs.

Doctors and drug companies want everyone to keep taking prescription drugs !

Flower Photo: Deigo Okinawa's Prefectural Symbol

Starting to Bloom Now in Okinawa

 

 

These bright red flowers have a history of avoiding my camera lens.

So far, I have never been able to catch them in full bloom.

It seems like every time I spot one flowering it's too early or, too late in the season.

Some folks use these to determine how strong of a typhoon season we will have.

If they bloom early in the year or, get humongous blossoms, standby.

That could mean the typhoons, will whack us severely.

The plant's scientific name is Erythrina orientalis.

The trees came from India, where they are known as Indian Coral.

Other names: Tiger's Claw and Sunshine Tree.

MORE OKINAWA PREFECTURAL SYMBOLS

Editor's Picks (Photos) for the Month of March 2014

One Flower -- One Person -- One Bird

 

 

With half the month spent indoors, due to foul weather,  there won't be any complaints.

Things should be warming considerably and we'll be hitting the trails more often.

There are some exciting photo shoots, lined up in the upcoming weeks and months.

Here are the latest images selected by the judges in the photo contest for March.

 2014 Iris in Okinawa

Okinawan Master of Karate

Stalking Heron

Flower Photo: Bottlebrush Tree (Callistemon citrinus)

Native of Australia Found in Okinawa

 

 

This one was found just down the street and around the corner from my office.

My friend over at Eat The Weeds says you can make tea from this plant.

Over in California, they have an Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute.

Lots of information, over there but, they didn't mention tea.

So, I'm thinking of contacting a friend in the Land Down Under.

Just to find out what Australians do with these trees.

 

 It may take a while for an answer.

Meanwhile, check out Eat The Weeds website.

He's got stuff like, Can We Eat Grass ? over there.

He doesn't sound like some urban forest, city boy scientist.

Sounds as if he's some kind of survivalist dude, to me.

 

 

 

 

 

The Azalea Festival That Turned into a Flower Carnival

 Azalea Matsuri ( ツツジ まつり) in Higashi Village

 

Little did I know about how this event has grown, until yesterday.

The 15 photos posted here are just a sample of what may be seen this month.

 After leaving the Iris fields we decided to check on the azaleas in Higashi.

 To our surprise, the Azalea Festival had already begun.

It started looking like rain so, we made a quick camera tour through the place.

 When the wind starts blowing and it rains, I don't really want to shoot flowers.

 They look a lot better on a sunny, blue sky kind of day.

As long as I had to climb the hills, I figured, I should take some photos.

That way, you know, I really went up there.

One last shot with some grey sky and, I came up with an idea.

 

Keep the sky out of the frame, where I could.

A little bit peeked through, trying to make this composition.

Then another idea, popped into my head.

Get down low, someplace where the rocks block the breeze. 

Another trick was, get off the trails and find someplace where there was no wind.

Reds, pinks and whites seemed to be the most popular colors.

So, I tried to make sure, I got shots of all three.

I'm not much of a flower fanatic but, I know many people are.

We meandered down off the hills, taking photos out of the worst winds.

And, I took one last shot, before going into the festival food tents.

There, I got to sit down and have a hot meal and some warm tea.

You really don't want to see photos of that.

How Did a Flower Festival Become a Carnival ?

 

Well, it started on the 1st of the month and, lasts until the 23d.

They have all kinds of entertainment.

There's karate, marching bands, folk and popular music, magicians and comedians.

You could go dancing, drinking and shopping there.

They even have some kind of marathon, ending there !

Have a peek at the schedule on their website. 

The Google Translate feature might be helpful if you can't read Japanese.

My plan, is to wait a week or, two for the weather to warm up a bit.

Then, the place should be in full bloom and, a lot more beauties will be out up there.

More Info at Stripes Okinawa and Map It Okinawa 

Flower Photos: Flame of the Woods (Ixora chinensis)

Another plant gets kicked out of the pending files today.

It seems like these bright red flowers bloom year round in Okinawa.

The photos were taken back in August and you still find these shrubs in bloom during December.

One of my, almost reliable, sources tell me there are around 500 species of this plant.

They say the common names are Jungle Geranium, Flame of the Woods or, Jungle Flame.

This one got nailed down, from a photo I found in my flower bible.

It's a good thing, I singled out that one flower up there along with the leaf.

Another great thing, is the people at the Kin Town Library keep letting me use this book.

They probably have never seen anyone keep checking the same book out for six months.

Sub-tropical Flowers in Okinawa ISBN4-9901917-3-0 is my flower bible.

That's where the words, Ixora chinensis came from.  But, there's more.

What we have here, is a hybrid, called Super King.

It's alright if we call them Flame of the Woods, because that's what they look like.

And, it's a lot easier to pronounce than that Latin name.