This time we will introduce the plant "Coniferous lily".
It's a very nice sounding name.
Because of this, I had always thought it was a native plant, but it's actually an invasive species. I was a bit surprised when I found out.
The Japanese quince is native to North America and was introduced to Japan around 1887. We often see it growing in cracks in the asphalt near our Yoyogi office.
The stems are reddish and the leaves have red spots in the middle, giving it a rather stylish appearance.
The leaves are less than 1cm long, but when you look at them with a magnifying glass you can see an interesting maze-like pattern that may be veins.
It has small white flowers and round fruits.
I had always thought of them as crawling flat on the ground, but after observing them for a while, I found that they were surprisingly often standing up. I'm not sure if they grow upwards in places where they can't be trampled on, or if they're actually a different species.
Something crawling on the ground. It is very reddish in color.
The one that is standing up. This one is lighter in red.
I think they are both probably Cornus japonica because of their characteristics of having red spots on the leaves and hairy stems and fruits, but it seems that other plants in the Cornus japonica family have also been introduced as invasive species, so I am not yet able to tell them apart.
The native species is called "Nisikisou" and is apparently at risk of extinction in some areas. I don't think I've ever seen it.
When you become interested in and begin to observe living things, you may find it frightening to realize that some things are being lost without you realizing, and that the scenery you have seen before is not necessarily the same as it was in the past.
Environmental issues are too big to think about alone, and it can be hard to know what to do, but I think that focusing on what's right under our feet can be meaningful, even if just a little (and I hope that's the case).
That's a bit of a stretch, but basically, observing wildlife is fun!
There is a tiny fly-like insect resting on the top of a leaf. When you observe one thing, you start to notice the things around it.
reference:
"How to Identify 950 Naturalized and Invasive Plants" by Akihiko Mori, published by Hidewa System in 2020. "Planting and Surveying Weeds Encyclopedia" by Genro Asai, published by the National Rural Education Association in 2015.
MURAKAMI Isao