Pretty in Pink: Winter Buds

 

In the forests of Kanagawa Prefecture, unless that is of afforested conifers, the trees shed their leaves during winter. Yap, it’s natural for forests in cooler temperate climate, as in Japan. The trees show their trunks and boughs without any cover of leaves. Winter air is frozen. It’s a world of minimalists’ beauty in Zen like manner … Even though, there are several very talkative spots here and there. The first thing people notice is easier spotting of birds, especially little ones. There is no cover, aka leaves, for them to hide. Food is scarce and they are too busy pecking whatever meals, aka bugs, they can find in the boughs and twigs of trees. Hardworking birds sing and hop from twig to twig just before our eyes. It’s the best season for birdwatching, as you know. Another “lively” sites in winter forests of Kanagawa is winter buds.

Before trees have lots of leaves and flowers from spring to summer, they must have buds to sprout when the time comes, right? They need time for buds-preparation with enough nutrition, obviously. So, all trees, deciduous or otherwise, start producing buds when they have lots of leaves that manufacture nutrients through photosynthesis. For deciduous trees, they complete foundation building of buds by the end of summer. If we’re attentive, we can spot such buds within vigorous summer leaves of trees. When the season turns to chilly side, the buds are in gestation. Spring is approaching and the buds are mature enough at waiting wing to flush out their new leaves and flowers. In Kanagawa Prefecture, January and February are the best months to spot and admire these plump “winter” buds in forests. It’s fun, I tell you.

There’s a sort of trick to find winter buds. Look for the tip of twigs, then lower your eye along the twig. Basically, winter buds are formed on the first-year portion of a bough. Just think where we can find the leaves of summer. They are on the head of a bough, i.e. twig, right? So do the winter buds. Sometimes, the point of a twig is too fragile to be preserved during winter. In such a case, the first portion of a bough is gone at the point where buds start. The series of buds for such twig look like starting from the middle of a twig. That’s OK. In any case, winter deciduous forest can give us a clear vista of how the boughs and twigs are spreading from the trunk. It’s easy to spot buds.

It’s winter buds of Japanese maple.
The tips of twigs look like thin threads.
Inevitably, they are fragile and can be easily broken
 at the point where the series of winter buds starts.
More to this below.
Oh, by the way, I tell you next week
my adventure in a park where I took this photo.
It‘s not in Kanagawa but in Tokyo and
in one of the “oldest modern scientific botanical garden for Japan.”

You see?
Once we pick up only the orange lines in our mental map,
the scenery is like a modern painting …
I think they are Hydrangea luteovenosa
with dogwood like red in winter forest.

Their winter buds look like this.

There are several anatomical points if you’re serious about observing winter buds. But, today, let me just show you how pretty they are once we’ve noticed their existence. The opening act is by Ilex macropoda that will have handsome egg-shaped leaves which turn their colour from bright green to yellow in autumn. By that time, they have pretty and small red currants whose colouring scheme is perfect for gardens. Having said that, I think their winter buds are also cool. From that tiny gray triangular tip a bunch of leaves and flowers will sprout. It’s something of wonder.

The next, I think it’s Schizophragma hydrangeoides. Could you figure out some triangle beneath the bud? It’s where a previous season leaf was attached before it fell off as an autumn leaves.

Winter buds for Schizophragma hydrangeoides are strange looking. Their top bud at the point of a twig is often destroyed due to strong wind et al. Its leaves sprout adversely, i.e. the left-behind two winter buds sit neatly side-by-side, which look like hoofs of a cow. Also, this one is in bright pinky-red. By the way, their leaves and buds are larger than Japanese maple. If you’re hiking in Tanzawa during winter, look for them. It’s easier to find than for smaller Japanese maple.

Another pretty in pink is Quercus serrata. The trees are often big oak in our neighbhood, but its winter buds are this cute. They look like Christmas cake decorations. Come to think of it, they are baby part of a tree that would be vulnerable for UV rays. And during winter, not much is there for sun-shade for buds. A hypothesis is, red can protect babies and young leaves from such harms. Though it’s still a hypothesis.

Whateva. They are pretty, like winter buds for loose-flowered hornbeam. They stood out in greyish scenery of winter Tanzawa over a blue sky. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!! Let’s take a deep breath!

Although the songs of birds sounds, probably, more clear in winter forest, it’ very quiet, meditative space. Then these winter buds come out almost mischievously with cute smile. Soon, they will be bushy extravaganza of summer forest. Metamorphoses ... It’s really a wonder.

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/