Wordless Wednesday: Almost Stumped

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

Wordless Wednesday: A Hungover Tree

Travel Photo: An Animated Palm Tree in the Breeze

Senagajima Today

 

 

It's official; rainy season has ended and, Okinawa got blazing hot sunshine.

So, a trip was made to Senaga Island and, I shot a picture to show you.

Several but, the six used to create this GIF, is all I'll be posting for tonight. 

Camera: Pentax K1

Lens: Pentax 15-30 at 27MM

Exposure:  f/11   1/160   ISO 100

Location:  Senagajima, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: JUN 17  2016  1:13PM

Mejiro Chirping in Cherry Blossoms

These Birds Love the Sakura Flowers

 

The best time to catch Japanese White Eyes is when they are in these trees.

After Cherry Blossoms disappear, the birds become more skittish.

Flocks of them, migrate to the pine trees, searching for bugs to consume.

During sakura season it seems, they remain stationary a bit longer, visiting these flowers.

This photo was captured in a tree, not far from my office.  See: 16 Steps for more.

Camera: Pentax K3

Lens: Pentax 300MM + 1.4 converter  Focal Length 420MM

Exposure:  f/7.1   1/800   ISO 400

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 16  2016   1:46PM

16 Steps to Get this Bird in Cherry Blossoms

Mejiro in Sakura

 

 

It's not that I'm going to write all sixteen steps down for reading.

That's just the number of steps, I had to walk outside my office door, to take this shot.

Camera:  Pentax K3

Lens:  Pentax 300MM + 1.4 converter  Focal length 420MM

Exposure:  f/7.1   1/800   ISO 400

Location:  Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time:  FEB 16 2016  1:46PM

Okinawa's Special Tree #42 in Kanna District of Ginoza Village

Over 100 Sacred Trees in Okinawa

 

 

Not in any particular order, I will, chase all these treasures down, with the camera.

The list being used, has 128 special trees, listed and, many are on distant islands.

This one is over 200 years old, which means, it survived the Typhoon of Steel:  World War II.

Directly behind the position, I was standing, when the photo was taken, is a shrine.

There are also, other sacred trees, in a grove alongside the temple.

Since ancient times, it has been believed, a god innhabited this grove; entrance was restricted.

Only the special tree #42 is fenced off and, the rest of the area is open to the public.

The name for this tree is Chinese Lantern Tree (Hernandia nymphaeifolia).

Hasunohagiri (ハスノハギリ) would be the Japanese name.

The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Redlist.

Just a Tree Near the Sea -- Image

Somebody Up There Heard Me Complain

Finally, we got a bit of that warm December weather, warm-mongers, always worry about.

And, I enjoyed every bit of it, running around in flip-flops, with no socks !

Camera: Pentax K5

Lens: Sigma 10-20 at 20MM

Exposure: f/11   1/80   ISO 100

Location: Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan

Date and Time: DEC 12 2015  3:14PM

Flower Photo: Orchid Tree or Mountian Ebony

The Botanical name for this plant is Bauhinia purpea.

The medium sized trees are found throughout China, Japan and, Southeast Asia.

Learn more about this plant or, buy one at Dave's Garden. 

Medicinal uses of the plant, leaves and flowers may bee seen at Encyclopedia of Life. 

Other Resources:

Forestry Nepal 

ISBN4-900668-63-X  Guide Book of Landscaping Plants in Okinawa P.19

How About A Sake Bottle Tree ?

Flowering Silk Floss Tree

 

 

At Onaga, Nishihara, Nagami District of Okinawa, this tree jumped out at me.

Half of it was bursting out in bright pink and yellow blossoms.

The other half, had only the bright green leaves.

Click, click went the camera shutter and, off we went to get the research done.

Somewhere, before, I know, I had seen this type of tree but, couldn't remember where.

 The tree, I mentioned to Click Okinawa Dude, is called a Sake Bottle Tree, in Okinawa.

But, I couldn't remember the Latin or common English names.

Going back through some 2,000 blog posts was taking forever, trying to identify the thing.

When you search "bottle trees" online, you get all kinds of nonsensical junk.

Like, people, actually stick bottles on branches and, call it a bottle tree. Nuts !

So, I got the brilliant idea of using a Japanese search engine.

"Tokkurikiwata" (トックリキワタ) got me, all I needed to know.

Tokkuri, means sake bottle. Ki means tree and Wata (local Okinawa dialect) means belly.

Once, I arrived at a Japanese website where, I could identify the flowers, I hit gold.

It gave me the Latin name: Chorisa speciosa. 

At Okinawa Banana SeeSaa it was confirmed: we've got a Sake Bottle Tree here.

For the English speaking audience, I went to Floridata, in case people want to grow their own.

They call this a Silk Floss Tree because, you can use the silk from it to stuff pillows.

Those interested in buying plants can visit Top Tropicals and, order some. 

That way, they won't have to keep going around shooting ducks. Hah !

Other Resources:

Wikipedia if, you're inclined to believe them and,

ISBN4-900668-63-X

Previous Post:

Mystery of the Flowering Tree Resolved

5 Animated Photos of Kingfishers Perched in Trees

Learning how to add Geotags to photos is what started all this.

There are programs that can put latitude and longitude into an image's EXIF data file.

Smart phones do this for your photos automatically, from what I gather.

But for my DSLR, I had to figure out another method to geotag images before uploading.

Walking around with a Garmin GPS and camera is the method, I prefer.

Points marked along the route are recorded on the GPS.

As long as they are marked, close to the same time photos are taken, all goes well.

Even with the Garmin tied around my neck, I forget to use it sometimes.

Marking the location five minutes later than the photo was taken is a big No No.

If it doesn't match the time recorded on the photo, it won't get a geotag.

There is another method of manually adding the tags but, that's too much work for me.

 The programs, I'm using do a fantastic job of geotagging.

Somehow, the images are even showing up on Google Earth for anyone to see.

That way, I don't have to bother telling folks where to find these birds.

If you don't mind a little jungle, you can find these birds and take photos, too.

Make sure you bring a sharp knife.  You'll need one.

Mine got busted today so, tomorrow I have to go shopping.

Plants of Okinawa: Pandanus Palm or Screw Pine

Some Sharp Leaves

 

 

These plants grow on many Pacific islands at elevations near sea level.

There are many varieties of the tree, called Adan (アダン) in Japan.

Pandanus odoratissimus, grow pretty much in the wild on all Okinawa's islands. 

The sharp spines on the leaves of this tree are something you don't want to run into.

For the past few days, I have been handling them.

It seems they are in the way, keeping me from getting too close to a bird I want to photograph.

Snip, snip, snip, about an hour each day, gets me closer and closer to that bird.

The hole in the jungle, near the beach, will just be a crawlspace.

That way, nobody will notice me, coming or going as,  I crawl carefully and quietly.

The little barbs on the edges of those leaves make you bleed and get stuck in your skin.

Maybe the Creator invented them to make people keep their clothes on in the jungle.

Once the bird photo is taken, I never want to mess with those plants again.

More About Pandanus

 

 

 

An outstanding photo of the Screw Pine Fruit by RyukyuRusty appears here.

Bakers may wish to try making some Screw Pine Cake from these leaves. 

Pandan paste found in specialty markets could save you from messing with the plants.

ARKive lists a variety of this tree which is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. 

Baskets woven from the leaves of the plant may be see in an Australian museum.

For more information, visit the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Database.

 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) can provide you with free images of the tree.

Tree: Tropical Almond Found Growing in Okinawa

Good Stuff and Some Not So Good

 

 

 

It's always fun, discovering things like this.

The Map It Okinawa dude and, I were on a mission, looking for nifty things to post on blogs.

There are plenty of, culturally significant trees on this island.

And, if we can find them, we will document each one, in the English language.

When you find one like this, it's a pleasure, doing the of research.

There isn't just one of these trees at this location.

They have a whole row of them along the highway, close to the ocean.

What, I liked about this, besides the shade, was the historical marker and sign.

It gave the history of the trees in English and Japanese.

Plus, the Latin name and, local dialect for the plants.

Shooting images of these signs, helps with the research later.

The Law for Protection of Cultural Properties got me thinking.

It might not be a good idea, to get caught messing around with that tree.

So, I backed away with the cameras and took some shots from a distance.

And, I made sure, nobody was looking, when I collected some almonds to take home.

They had fallen on the ground so, I figured they must be free.

Thinking, it would be nice to show you my nuts, I shot some for display.

They turn different colors as they ripen.

The not-so-good news is, they are almost impossible to open.

After about 20 minutes of hacking with a steak knife, I gotterdun.

That little seed, at the tip of the knife was all, I found inside.

If, I ever get some new teeth and the urge for almonds, guess what, I am going to do ?

Buy some at a candy store !

Resources for all you could ever want to know about the Terminalia catappa tree:

Dave's Garden

Eat the Weeds

Seabean

Flower Photo: Mussaenda Erythrophylla -- I Got Some Today

Crazy Things Happen

 

 

This is a long story, I will attempt to make short.

These flowers caught my eye as I was walking the back roads to buy my lunch.

Construction along the main highway of Kin Town has been driving me nuts.

So, when I leave the office, I walk the back-roads to get some peace and quiet.

The cameras, stay in the office; I'm only going for a quick takeout lunch.

But, when I spotted this tree, I wished I had my camera.

A Five Foot Woman Showed Up Behind the Eight Foot Fence

 

 

"Those are some pretty flowers, you have there." I told her.

Then, I asked if, she knew the name of the tree.

She said she didn't. She thought it might have came from Taiwan.

Next, I asked her if she knew a typhoon was coming. It would blow all the flowers away.

She agreed.

Now We Had a Conversation Going

 

 

Telling her, I was a cameraman, was a good idea.

The plan, was to get some photos of those flowers before they all get  blown away.

She said, taking pictures would be no problem.

But, she looked sort of funny, at me because, I didn't have a camera.

Then, I told her, it's too windy outside to take photos of the flowers.

I asked if it would be alright to cut off a branch and take it home.

She agreed and, I told her I'd be back as soon as I grabbed my lunch, around the corner.

By the time, I got back, she was gone.

Some construction workers, next door, had heard our conversation about the tree.

So, I opened the gate and went into the yard, without looking like an intruder.

And, I snagged a branch to photograph the flowers above.

Today, when I went to buy lunch, she was out in the yard, again.

"The flowers are named Mussaenda."  I told her, I found it on the internet.

And, she invited me in to take some more.

While, I was reaching in my pocket for a Swiss Army knife, she disappeared.

She came back with some sort of pruning tool and handed it to me.

All, you need to photograph flowers, is a small piece of a branch.

But, she was directing me, to cut humongous limbs of the tree.

Maybe, I looked like a lumberjack, to her.

Next thing, you know, I'm walking back down the street with all sorts of flowers.

A Pink and Red Tree

 

 

Have you ever seen a tree with pink and red flowers walking down the street ?

If it was wearing yellow flip-flops, it was probably me.

Feeling like a fruitcake, with bundles of flowers blowing in my face, I hurried along.

Now, was really a good time to take the back roads.

Sonovagun, if I didn't run into somebody on the back streets.

A lady, pushing a cart asked me where I got the pretty flowers.  Great !

After, I convinced her, they weren't stolen, I asked if she wanted some.

Sashigi (plant cuttings) is what the first woman told me, you could do with the flowers.

When, lady #2, heard that, I got rid of one armload of today's booty !

Free to a Good Home

 

 

The rest of today's haul, is soaking in buckets of water, until after the typhoon.

So, if anybody wants to try growing them, drop on by.

Here's what they look like, in real life:

Tree Photo: Sakishima Sappanwood -- Heritiera littoralis

The Site Has Improved

 

 

It's been over a year, since my first visit to this location, in Higashi Village.

Heading up north to the Higashi Museum, we got detoured by a construction crew.

That's how we wound up, stopping here.

The place has been spruced up nicely and, clouds passed overhead so, I snagged this photo.

At the edge of these woods bright light and dark shadows make photography difficult.

In the past, you had to walk through some soggy ground, to reach this tree.

And, there were some yellow and black ropes surrounding the area.

Now, the safety ropes are gone and they have wooden boardwalks leading to the attraction.

Something tells me, a ritual or some sort of shindig may be taking place in the near future.

So, I'll be going back to see if I can weasel my way into getting invited.

They won't say "No" if I don't ask so, I might as well try !

More About the Sundari Trees at Wildscreen ARKive

This Tree Must Be Photogenic

It Came as a Surprise

Goofing around a little past noon on the Island of Izena, I shot this dead tree along the beach.

The photo stayed in my pending files, along with few hundred more, waiting processing.

While developing on one computer, I catch up on social media stuff, on another.

Well, I heard the Facebook thing, go BEEP.

And, when, I checked to see what the Zuckerberganator wanted, I found this tree.

A gal, Heidi shot an image at the same location and posted it while I was developing mine.

So, I let her know, we somehow, missed each other on the island.

  I told her, I would try to get my tree on the blog, that night. But, it didn't happen.

It took awhile for the Awesomenator to process the images, I shot the following night.

Now, I'm wondering. How many other people took photos of this dead tree ?

If You Really Wanna Drive Youself Bananas Try This

Document the Life of a Banana Leaf

 

The bright idea came to me when I first saw this new banana leaf.

Wouldn't it be cool, to show the world before and after typhoon photos of the thing ?

Even, during the typhoon, I went out there with a camera.

 

And, it was windy, sometimes, I got wet.

The typhoon didn't kill the new leaf, just shredded things a bit.

We got some tough bananas in this part of the world.

Almost every day, I went out and shot photos of the banana tree.

Some people think it's crazy but, it's where I take my smoke breaks, anyway.

It only takes a few seconds to set up a camera.

 So, that's what I do.

It's a heck of a lot easier than trying to do pushups while you're smoking.

One day, I caught a snail, slimming around on my favorite leaf.

Snails can't be good for plants so, I threw it over the fence.

The damage, may have already been done.

The whole banana tree looks like it's about to give up.

But, I keep going out there and shooting every day, anyway.

There isn't anything fascinating about dead banana tree photos.  I know.

Once my mind is made up, to do something, I just keep on doing it.


So, if you don't like bananas, look at the poinsettias or, hibiscus flowers.


Meanwhile, excuse me, while I continue to drive myself bananas !

Plant Photos: Powderpuff Tree (Barringtonia racemosa)

These Flowers Could Be in the Doozies Files

 

Always on the lookout for something new and unusual, I spotted them on Zamami-jima.

Another thing I always do, is look for karaoke bars when I'm on another island.

It was late at night and there were spotlights turned on the tree.

Sitting down on the ground with the tripod I was trying to get the blasted camera to focus.

There was way too much beer in me already.

Along came a pretty blond girl and pack of guys who had way too much something, too.

And, they were looking for a karaoke bar.

So, off we went.

There's only one karaoke joint, that I know of, on that island.

We found it and sang songs plus, had a few more beers.

After everybody drank themselves under the table, they went home.

So, I stayed a little bit longer.

It was way past midnight when I got back to this flowering tree.

Just when I figured out how to get my camera focusing, the lights went out.

So, I asked the guy who flipped the switch if he'd turn them back on, for just a second.

 The rumor, I had heard was, these things only bloom at night.

Click, click, click and I was out of there.

ISBN4-900668-63-X is a Japanese book, I used to ID the plant.

That's where I got the name Barringtonia racemosa.

None of the sources I found online mention the flowers being night bloomers.

So, maybe, I'll have to re-visit that island and see if they bloom in daylight.

It could be a myth or, they have some sort of hybrid growing over there.

It would really be nice if I could capture these flowers in daylight for you.

Then, I could pack the camera away and go karaoke without it !

More about:  Barringtonia racemosa