Spring Has Come … but it’s a bit strange

 

Spring Equinox has come. Spring has come. And flowers are rushing to bloom now in Yokohama … It’s a bit strange spring this year. Our town is not that north, compared with, say, Sapporo or Paris. Flowers took time to bloom. First, daffodils and wintersweets, then plums, Kawazu-zakura cherries, oriental paperbush, and finally the superstar Someiyoshino blossoms. It was about 2 to 2 and a half months fun of simple expectations. This year … yeah, there is some order, but … they are all in haste.

Bishop’s hat was already in full bloom
in the second week of March for Yokohama.
They normally did this in April.

Early March I noticed this. In Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林, Kanagawa Forest Instructors has an annual tour for watching oriental paperbush in the second week of March (; this year’s flyer is here. If you’re interested in joining it, please email k-inst0981@friend.ocn.ne.jp. Naomi’ll bring you to the flowering places in English 😉). For doing this we check flowers in Water Source Forest several times beforehand. In the first weekend of this March, some trees of Euptelea polyandra had lots of beautiful dark red flowers. “Wow, so, this year, visitors will enjoy pretty flowers of them next week!” Our expectations rose. There are lots of Euptelea polyandra along valley lines of deep Tanzawa Area where the land is fragile. Euptelea polyandra is a pioneer plant loving graveled and fragile ground where the number of competitors is small. Normally, they flower for about a month or two during March and April. They first show off their red without leaves, but sooner or later the new green leaves of their neighboring trees will cover their flowers. March blossoming is a sort of the best chance for us to enjoy this strange-shaped flowers. However, 5 days later when we’ve been there with the visitors, the flowers were already spent, though the fresh green leaves of surrounding vegetations had not come yet. That’s … a sad scenery. Why had they gone this quick this year?

Euptelea polyandra in full bloom

Oriental paperbush

Admitting, the second week of this March had warm weather. Maybe for Euptelea polyandra to keep their flowers pretty, they need chillier climate …Then, Meteorological Authorities of Japan declared opening of cherry blossoms here and there 5 to 7 days earlier than average. We’re scrambling to set up flower watching outing whose climax is coming so suddenly and early. It’s strange … Where is our relaxed approach of spring?

Creeping mazus, Japanese endemic,
also has lots of flowers already in Yokohama.
They normally bloom in April.

Ditto for Euphorbia helioscopia.
Hey, you guys, it’s still March!

Meanwhile,
Corydalis decumbens are taking their time …
maybe they plan to have flowers in April as usual.

Already in Chidorigafuchi 千鳥ヶ淵 of the Imperial Palace, Someiyoshino is in full-bloom. People say cherry blossoms in downtown Tokyo is in its peak this weekend. Weather forecast: rain. Huh. Those blossoms in more rural areas are normally a bit late. Please take your chance, if you like. Early April, we may have our cherry blossom picnic in our forest, not in-between the skyscrapers.

I think it’s Viola minor …
This year they blossom almost at the same time
as Viola grypoceras.
They take more time till April to flower
in previous years …

If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター

657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121　厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323

You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/