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

Osprey Identification Photos

Aircraft named Osprey

Bird named Osprey

Want to Drive a Sushi Chef Crazy ?

Get One of These Fish Charts

 

That's right. There are 242 kinds of fish in the waters of Okinawa, Japan.

This wall chart has pictures and the names of the fish in Japanese, English and Okinawan.

The posters are sold at many touristy locations, throughout the Ryukyu Islands.

I've seen them go for anywhere from 1,000 to over 3,000 Yen. That's like ten to thirty bucks.

Get one HERE at a bargain. Tell the pretty gals, "A guy with a beard sent me."

The chart is really huge and comes all rolled up, wrapped in cellophane.

I tacked it to the wall and, to give you a better view, I chopped up and enlarged the photos.

That's way too many fish, to be hanging on my wall. Soon, I'll take it down.

For poor folks, who can't afford to buy the chart, go to Asia Pacific Fish I.D.

They have images of all the fish and, English as well as, Japanese.

There's even a guy in Tokyo, who gives you the same info for kosher and non-kosher dining. 

Shazam !

Many Sushi Chefs Don't Speak English

Saving the links above on your smartphone, might help you at the sushi bar.

Get an old deck of cards and, with this poster, you could have lots more fun.

Cut the thing up, into small pieces, paste and laminate them to the cards and, you're all set.

Instead of pointing to the fish, inside some glass case, do what I'm gonna do.

Buy the chef something to drink.  They usually, go for sake or beer. 

Shuffle the deck of fish cards, pull one out and say, "Got any of this ?"

Class Dismissed

Butterfly Named a Banded Awl

It Looks Like a Moth

 

 

There seems to be some confusion in the butterfly experts world; I'm glad I ain't one of them.

If you think bird watchers are crazy, you probably don't want to mess with butterfly fanatics.

It was another rainy day so, I spent a few hours, trying to find a name for this bug.

After looking at only a few hundred thumbnail photos, I thought it was nailed down.

  Banded Awl (Hasora moestissima moestissima) on Flickr gave me a scientific name.

Off I went, plugging that nomenclature into search engines, to get verification.

At Butterflies of Singapore they have the Life History of the Common Banded Awl.

Nice enough people, they call butterflies, Nature's Flying Jewels. Imagine that.

Anyway, the photos show butterflies, that look just like this one.

But, in Singapore the Latin name is Hasora chromus chromus.

Over at Butterfly Circle, they would agree with the Flying Jewel folks in Singapore.

But Nature Society (Singapore) would call the critter Hasore vitta vitta.

It's just a Plain Banded Awl, to them. All the photos, look like the same butterfly, to me.

At Butterflies of India, it's a Hasora vitta indica - India Plain Banded Awl, wouldn't ya know.

We could go on and on, adding links to pictures of butterflies but, I won't.

If you take those scientific names and search, you'll find all kinds of different butterflies.

Half of them, don't look anything like the photo, I posted above.

So, I sat back and tried to picture, all the butterfly experts, coming together.

They'd have field guides, notebooks, binoculars and big butterfly nets in their hands.

There's no telling if, they are violent types of people, when they get in a disagreement.

So, I decided to not try and place any concrete scientific name on this little dude.

Let's call it a Banded Awl that looks like a moth, from now on, for the sake of world peace !

Plant and Flower Photos: Clerodendrum

Tricky to Identify from Photos

 

 

These images were created in August 2015 and, just got positive ID's.

Today, my favorite botanist, in all Japan, gave me the clues  I needed to finish the research.

His name will remain a secret so, everyone else, doesn't start bugging him.  Hah!

 Luckily, I had saved some images, that didn't have stems and leaves cropped out of the scenes.

Latin names received were Clerodendrum inerme and Clerodendrm trichotomum.

With a few hundred types of this plant, I had it narrowed to one type or, the other.

 The shapes and patterns of the leaves, can help in deciding what plant, we're looking at.

The first place: Top Tropicals, had me thinking Clerodendrum inerme was the wrong name.

With some close-ups of the leaves and buds, I visited a few more sites.

Clerodendrum trichotomum at Fine Gardening, doesn't look anything like this plant.

National Parks Don't Lie

So, I figured it would be wise, to go visit one of those government websites and get the truth.

The folks at Singapore Government convinced me with their photo.

This is a Wild Jasmine, Seaside Clerodendrum or, Clerodendrum inerme, for sure.

It also has a synonym, Clerodendrum inermis L, just to keep folks guessing !

http://www.finegardening.com/harlequin-glorybower-clerodendrum-trichotomum

Help Identify A Flowering Shrub

Photo Taken Indoors

 

 

Sometimes, I like to set a flower in front of a black background for a portrait.

It' not a work of art, anyone would be willing to buy but, it sure makes things stand out.

Indoors, you don't have to worry about the wind moving things around.

All my expert resources, couldn't find a name for this plant or flower.

Those little white star-shaped flowers are smaller than a thumbnail.

If someone can identify this plant, I could give them a photo of it or, something even better.

The only place, I have ever seen a plant like this is a secret location, near my office.

 If somebody living around here ID's the thing for me, I could show them, where it's located.

Another reason, I like to shoot flowers indoors, is for privacy.

We wouldn't want anybody, thinking that, me and my Swiss Army knife swiped the thing !

Flowers and Girls Online: They Got Everything !

It All Started Trying to Identify a Plant

 

 

Things were sorta iffy in the sky this morning so, I figured, "Don't wander too far."

A block down from the office, I took a photo of this plant in front of a restaurant.

Along with me, were some books, overdue by a few months, to take back to the library.

The Kin Town Library, treats me like royalty for some strange reason.

The books I checkout aren't in big demand so, they allow me, to keep being tardy.

When one gal, couldn't find an ID for this flower, the whole library staff , jumped in to help.

After awhile, I told them, "Maybe this plant is from a foreign country. I'll check online."

Leaving the library, a gal chased me down to tell me something.

She said she'd write the name down if, they found an identification and have it sent to me.

Next, I walked to a flower shop, to see if they could ID the plant, viewed on my camera.

No luck there so, I would have to rely on the good old internet search.  Groan

On Facebook, I have a contact, who's usually the expert, at these sort of things.

He said, it was a tough one but, maybe if, I tried leguminous plants, I could find it.

Wiki Dude tells me Leguminosae or Fabaceae, covers thousands of plants.

And, I looked at 1,377 thumbnails of flowers, just on one website.  Ouch

How Did Hot Chicks Get in There ?

 

After I started throwing Latin names into my searches, things seemed easier.

Some Flickr-looking site had, much larger thumbnail photos, to look at.

This plant, for now will be called a Desmodium laxum or something like that.

It also, looks like some sort of Lotus australis or a hybrid of one.

At the bottom of every page containing flower photos, were the girls.

They were humongous ads, larger than the flower photos and, said stuff like:

The Most Dazzling Singles Are Waiting for You !

This Bombshell Wants a New Boyfriend

Russian Ladies Won't Let You Get Bored

We'll Help You Find the Girl You Saw in Your Dreams

Chat with Gorgeous Slavic Matches 24/7

 Are You Looking for a New Girlfriend ?

These Flirty Russians Are Looking for a Man Like You

Looking for an Easy Way to Meet a Gorgeous Lady ?

These Asian Girls Are Like Exotic Candies !

These Flirty Russians Will Seduce You in an Instant

 Well, I tell ya, it was crazy, trying to identify this flower, there were so many.

Before you know it, I'm on page 49 or 50 of that site.

And, I picked some names for this plant, way back on page 41 or something like that.

Now, I'm wondering if, all those gals could see me online.

It's been so long since I dated a gal like that, my hyphen's growing back !

If you have nothing better to do, visit THIS SITE and, see it all.

Stubborn Flower Keeps Resisting Identification

Who Can Identify the Beauty?

 

 

There are over 200 flowers in the pending files and, I want this one out before the year ends.

It seemed like it would be an easy one to research, when I first shot it.

There are many methods, I use to find the names of plants and flowers.

Library books on my desk, that are always a month overdue at the library, help sometimes.

But, I can't find anything that looks like that rascal in them, this time around.

This plant was in some sort of rock garden by the City Office.

Usually, I'll talk to someone, in the neighborhood and, ask if they know the plant's name.

Some guy came along but, said he didn't know what the flower's name might be.

It would have been better, to talk to an old woman. I like doing that for a few reasons.

First being, they usually know, what they're talking about and, help me.

Second reason: If I decide to grab the plant and run, most of them can't catch up with me. 

Just kidding. But, I do tell them, I'm married. However, I'm free, in the evenings.

Then, I wink at them and, watch them cackle !  I just love old ladies.

 The photos were taken in February and March of this year and, are gone now.

It could be, bugs ate them or, maybe someone less honest than me, snatched them up.

Beautiful things like this, never last forever, you know.

That's why my wife, doesn't worry about me being around beautiful, young ladies.

She knows, I ain't never fooling around with a young girl who's fast enough to catch me.

Back to Flower Identification

It would have been nice, if a specimen was borrowed, to take to the flower shop.

Sometimes, I'll snap a quick shot and, show the lady, what I'm trying to name.

They are very helpful and, chase me down the street, when they have a solution, for me.

The last time, they solved a toughie, I told them I'd buy a hundred bucks worth of flowers.

And, I did because, it happened to be the wife's birthday that week.

All the old gals, in town smiled, when they saw my walking with a bale of flowers in my arms.

The damn thing was heavy and expensive so, I'll probably only visit the flower shop once a year.

Flower ID's can be found online if, you don't mind staring at a computer monitor.

Well, I look at computer screens too much, as it is, with my photography.

So, unless it's an easy one to identify, I'd rather try a different method.

There are a few flower experts, I know on Facebook and, they are helpful most of the time.

It might become a burden if, I sent 240 flower photos, to one of them for identification.

That would be a great way, to reduce your friends on Facebook if, you have too many !

So, I decided to try this, little experiment.

Does Anybody Out There Know What the Heck This Flower Might Be ?

 

UPDATE:

 

Of all the places, I've never thought, Twitter would be a resource, until now.

I received a tweet from charming, Laura MacKinnon:  (@tokyololas)

And, she told me, we have an Iris japonica, here.

She now has a new Twitter follower. Check her out and, you may want to see her Tweets, too.

Common Name: Fringed Iris, Shaga or, Butterfly Flower on the Wiki site.

 

Unidentified Baby Turtle Gets Put Back in the Mud

The Little Amphibian Could Have Been Crushed

 

 

It was out on a newly paved stretch of road down by the rice paddies.

This morning, I was in the fields before any farmers showed up, with the camera.

Initially, it just looked like a clump of mud that had flown off a tractor tire.

And, I walked on past it.

When I stopped to have a can of iced coffee, the dirt ball was watching me.

After a few snaps of the shutter, I decided we should get off the road.

Down a slippery bank of clay, into the rice paddy we went.

Trying to get closer to the turtle's eye level, I wound up sitting in the mud.

The little creature must have been camera shy and, decided it was time to go.

A few seconds of crawling in the dirt and, it disappeared into the freshly planted rice field.

Now that I'm back in the office, I realize what I should have done.

It's easier to identify a turtle if, you look at it from all angles.

Next time, I find a turtle I'll remember to turn the thing upside down.

That way, I can take a picture of its belly.
 

And, it won't be able to escape so quickly !

Update: Turtle Identified

 

 

Alert Reader and Friend of Nature, Shawn Miller provided this information:

Black-breasted Leaf Turtle

Geoemyda japonica is an Endangered Species.

Ryukyuyamagame (リュウキュウヤマガメ) is the Japanese title for this animal.

References:

Okinawa Kearu Net

ICUN Red List of Threatened Species

The Turtle Room

Funny Landing But Impressive Bird

Great Egret

 

 

These egrets were headed for extinction, at one point in history.

That's because, people liked their bright, white feathers.

There are way, too many, images of egrets in my flies already.

But, I just had to save this bird's goofy-looking descent.

Once it got settled, my feathered friend, did a bit more regal posing for me.

All About Birds

 

 

There are so many types of herons and egrets, identification can get confusing.

On an occasion or two, I have misidentified a bird and, posted it here.

Something like that can be a disastrous experience.

Bird watching experts and scientists, will jump down your throat !

So, what I do now, is go to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology for identification.

If this egret isn't an Ardea alba, they can try and jump down some other guy's throat.

Lizard Photos: Takydromus Something or Other Found in Okinawa

This One Has Me Stumped

 

 

It could be a Takydromus smaragdinus, dorsalis or, sauteri. I really don't know.

Using what information, I could gather, I checked about a dozen websites.

This character was in the weeds behind my office and posed momentarily for me.

Most of the day was spent researching to find the correct scientific name.

And, I must have looked at a few hundred thumbnail sized photos of lizards.

American, European, Chinese and Japanese websites were checked.

When, I came across a professor at Harvard's website, he convinced me to quit.

He said something like, he's been studying these critters all his life.

And, the more he learns, he realizes, the less he knows about them.

So, I slammed my laptop shut and took a break.

When I came back, I found a Takydromus Facebook Page and, signed myself up.

Then, bookmarked Lizards of Japan.

This case won't be closed until we find the correct ID for the rascal.

But, for right now, I don't want to get any dumber than, I already am.

UPDATED RESOURCES: We may ahve a Anolis carolinensis, here.

Animal Diversity Web

The Reptile Database

Help Wanted: Identify This Golden Beetle

Thousands of Thumbnails Were Checked

 

 

This bug just defies identification.

In case you have never spent a day, squinting at bugs on a computer monitor, I'll tell you.

It's a royal pain in the butt !

Some clues: This character is located in Okinawa, Japan.

There are a few of them, eating, what look like sweet potato leaves.

When the light hits them a certain way, there's a greenish tint to the gold color.

For awhile, I thought it couldn't get any more exciting than this.

The insect, started making some cool hand motions.

Then, it flapped its gold wings so, we could get a peek inside.

That might give a scientist some clue as to what the proper ID would be.

If somebody gets me the scientific name for this bug, here's what I'll do.

Give me your email address and, you can have any or, all of the photos above.

Or, mail me a specimen bottle.

Maybe, I can capture one of them and, send it to you !

Golden Trumpet Trees Blooming in Okinawa and Some Bark

Ever Wonder What Those Bright Yellow Flowers Are ?

 

 

In this part of the world, we just call them Ipe.

The common name would be Golden Trumpet, for the trees and flowers.

Scientists, seem to disagree, over what to call them.

Not especially qualified to argue with science-types, here's what I did.

Running around with a camera, I made random images of the things.

Maybe, we could call it a random act of kindness, for the scientific community.

They don't pay me for doing this stuff but, I have lots of fun.

A closer look at the tree trunk and bark, might help clear things up.

 The clusters of leaves may help in identification, too.

 University of Florida, calls them: Tabebuia chrysotricha

Pacific Horticulture Society, says they are:  Handroanthus chrysotrichus

Another Type of Bark Encountered 

What makes this type of work fun, is some of the crazy things that happen along the way.

This farmer's dog, didn't like the idea of me being in the area.

So, he came running after me, barking.

That's when the mad scientist, in me came out.

  

It took a little growling and barking, back at him, to scare him off.

Then, he stayed on his side of the fence and, I stayed on mine.

Hopefully, those scientists will come to an agreement, soon.

Because next, I want to shoot some Pink and Purple Trumpets.

They probably, won't agree on what to call them, either.

Related Post:

Flower Photos: The Golden Trumpet Trees in Okinawa

10 Bug Photos and Some Stuff About Beyonce's Derriere

These Things Just Happen

 

 

 

 

Normally, you wouldn't find me going online to look at some gal's rear end.

There was a girl wiggling her bunny tail in the bar last night.

I just looked at her because we're friends.



 This morning I decided to get this unidentified bug out of my files and, do some research.

Somehow, a fly with a golden rear end got named after Beyoncé.

This young scientist, from Australia, figured the bug with a golden fanny, was "bootylicious."

So, he named the thing Scaptia plinthina beyonceae.

Checking several sources, for a positive ID, Beyoncé fanny photos kept showing up.



The fly with the golden tail is what I wanted verification on.

We have photos, taken from many different angles, to assist in getting identification.

The media folks like to show photos of Beyoncé from different angles, too.

A fellow couldn't help, but notice.  So that's what I did.



When identifying insects, there's other things worth looking closely at.

 The rear end, is important but, so are a lot of other parts.





Something about the bug's face, colors, marking and, wings told me this was a different one.

What we have here (Trust me, I verified everywhere) is a Hoverfly.

The Latin name:  Phytomia zonata

 

 

More News from Okinawa

 

Everyone came out unharmed by recent typhoons and earthquakes.

We are having beautiful, cool weather.

The Missus and I, may even do some celebrating tonight.

Do you suppose that crazy rabbit will be, at the bar, wagging her tail, again ?