Reincarnation: Imago of aquatic nymphs in Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林

 

Citizen water quality monitoring in Kanagawa’srivers is continuing for 2023 (; my posts for October 28, November 4, 11, 18, 2022). For FY 2022, Japanese Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) score for Yadoriki Stream 寄沢 was 8.2, the highest among the check points studied by monitoring troops for Kanagawa Prefecture. We’re aiming for the best score again for 2023, and have done so far 2 field research in different spots of Yadoriki Stream. We’ll see how they’re turned out to be at the end of the fiscal year. These days, I’m getting used to study waterborne creatures under microscope. Baby stoneflies are cute. Er, yeah, they’re dead as samples in alcohol … Humas are this cruel. God, would you please forgive me doing such study of dead insects?

What we can achieve with aquatic larvae under microscope is to identify their family, not species. I first thought it would have been due to our skill-level for microscopic study. Nope. Not because of us. Mr. Iga, an environmental consultant working with the Kanagawa Prefecture said, “In general we cannot figure out species of aquatic insects. To determine the species, we need to check adult bugs, or to be exact, male genital organ of an insect by dissecting it under microscope.” Oh my … at least volunteers for biological water monitoring are not required to do that in Kanagawa Prefecture. Though, observing baby bugs in water regularly, I gradually become wanting to see the grownups. It turned out to be it’s not so difficult for us Kanagawa Forest Instructors to meet the imago. The standard way of finding adult insects in forest is light observation. That’s what we do at least once a year in Yadoriki Water Source Forest (; my post on September 13, 2019). Last month, we congregated in Yadoriki Forest at dusk and built an observation base made of a white bedding sheet and lights. We waited quietly in the forest with coffee and snacks. They came, as always.

A point of river with alga.
That’s the place we would meet lots of aquatic babies.

Preparing for building the observation base

Of course, the bugs coming to our light were not only adults from waterborne larvae. Previous years, my attention went to larger mosses or beetles gathering around the light. But this year, I had a kind of new excitement anticipating the adults from our specimen larvae for microscopic study. My expectation was met beautifully. Yeah, unlike large insects, the adults of water nymphs were small. Come to think of it, as babies they require us to use microscopes for detailed observation. They then turn into chrysalis in a cocoon, and metamorphoses into adult. Or, for mayflies, they first become subimago, then metamorphoses to full imago. In the process, they normally do not double or triple their body size. Small nymphs become not-so-large adults. Even though, their delicate wings and expressive eyes were impressive.

A flashier visitor to our observation tool: Mimas christophi

Superstar Actias selene and could you see lots of mayflies?

A female stag beetle

It’s a large mayfly (of their order).

A Sweltsa abdominalis

… Photos getting smaller. Another family of mayfly

These adult bugs, being it stoneflies, caddisflies, mayflies, or crane flies, have very short lives. These creatures spend 1-3 years underwater as larvae. For the final 7 to 10 days of their lives they metamorphose into adults with wings to fly. The majority of adults even do not have mouth, i.e. do not eat at all. Most of them live their lives only to find mates and procreate for the next generation. I’ve heard these days biologists find LGBTQ+ is not rare in animal kingdom. Then, the lives of LGBTQ+ of such flies would sound even more romantic … I recalled a fortuneteller told me once my next reincarnation will be an insect. She consoled me “Well, even if it is so, it will be short and not much agony during your next life.” … Er … is that so? Or will I be an indicator-species underwater showing the water quality of somewhere on this planet or beyond?

Don’t you think it’s cool?
Not all nymphs of mayflies have aquatic life.
It’s Protidricerus japonicus
whose baby lives on ground under fallen leaves.
It also visited our light observation base that night.

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/

Stroll in a Mountainous Community: from Mt. Jitango to Yadoriki Community 寄ジタンゴ山 ・宮地山

 

Actually, returning to Yadoriki Community 寄 from Mt. Jitango ジタンゴ山 in today’s itinerary has (mainly) two routes. One is via Mt. Miyachi (ASL 512m) 宮地山, and another is skipping the peak of Mt. Miyachi by turning left 100m before the summit. We took the latter plan last month and concluded it may not be a good idea especially for non-locals … The road of our July hiking was sometimes covered by bush + scree on steep slopes. Many fallen oaks blocked the road due to Oak Tree Wilt. It would be easy to lose the way ... So, in today’s post, I introduce you the safer route via the top of Mt. Miyachi with photos I’ve taken last January. Please allow me to post some photos taken July, and another taken during the dead-winter. In our hiking coming December would have a scenery a bit closer to the January photo … Anyway! From the departing point of last week from the forestry road, we first pass a transmission tower. The ground for the tower is covered with dwarf lilyturf. I guess they were artificially brought here when the tower was constructed. They had pretty flowers in July. Cute.

Here! Flowers of dwarf lilyturf

From there, we slowly go up again a trekking road in the afforested coniferous forest. Then, the forest becomes broadleaved trees like giant dogwood, Lindera praecox, or Quercus serrata. It’s a quiet walk in a many faces of forest. Soon we’ll meet a signpost showing the direction to Mt. Miyachi. Please simply follow this advice. The hiking road here is wide and well-taken care of. I don’t think there is much difficulty to find a way. After less than an hour leisurely walk from the paved forestry road, we arrive at the top of Mt. Miyachi with oak trees and deer fences. In January, all the leaves of oaks had fallen, and we could observe the ridge of Mt. Sengen (ASL 567.7m; it does not have a hiking road) 浅間山 around which Mikurube Forestry Road 三廻部林道 runs (my posts on November 26 and December 3, 2021). During summer, I guess the view from the peak of Mt. Miyachi is completely covered by greens and the place would have less sunshine. Perhaps, Mt. Miyachi is a place for winter hiking.

We first walk through the coniferous forest.

Eventually, the trees become broadleaved.

A tunnel with giant dogwoods

It’s a big Lindera praecox.

There’s not much steep climbing from the forestry road.
The majority part of the trekking road
to the peak of Mt. Miyachi is like this.

Hmmmm … it’s a signpost.
We take the road in the direction of right arrow.

The scenery near the top of Mt. Miyachi is like this in winter.
Lots of Quercus serrata and sawtooth oaks.
I think this itself has its own serene beauty ...

The top of Mt. Miyachi

The peak of Mt. Miyachi is like a hilly open space. Simply proceed trekking road going to southwest direction. The route becomes a gently going down with steps made of logs. In about 15 minutes or so, we arrive at a junction where we meet again Miyachi Forestry Road. The place also has a guide map for a hiking course to Mt. Jitango via Mt. Miyachi (i.e. the reverse itinerary for this post). The course from here gives us a nice strolling in a mountain community … Both sides of Miyachi Forestry Road show vegetation typical for Japanese agricultural village. Observing and admiring them in a slow hiking is a fun. The Forestry Road eventually brings us to Miyachi Community 宮地 of Yadoriki. This is another one of 7 villages that in 1876 joined in one administrative unit of Yadoriki.

In winter the peak is a very open space.

The trekking course gently descends from the peak.

And the steps with log stoppers begin,

to meet Miyachi Forestry Road again.
 At this junction, there is a map of hiking courses.

A plant we met along the forestry road near the housing.
 We discussed if they were capsules for
  Dioscorea tokoro Makino or Japanese yam.
 The latter is delicious, and the former is only for bitter diuretic.
 We concluded regrettably it’s for diuretic
 as the capsules have opening facing the sky.

This old statue of Buddhist figure has
 the inscription dated September 1882.

That’s said, to return Shin-Matsuda Station 小田急新松田駅, we have to catch the bus whose service is rather limited. Going down, we meet Tashiro Bridge over Nakatsu River. Cross it and go straight. We find the bus route and a bus stop. The name of the stop is Tashiro Mukai 田代向 (the timetable to Shin-Matsuda Station is here). The service next to 14:45 (Sat and Sun) is 15:45. If you need to use the bathroom before riding bus, please find it one at the foot of the Bridge in Miyachi Community. Oh, these days, when we cross the Tashiro Bridge to the bus stop, a kitchen car is open during weekend at foot of the Bridge (; I mean, at the opposite side of the river from the toilet). I haven’t tried the premise yet … but soon I will. Banana juice looks appetizing. 😋

We come down here.
The small structure below the arrow is toilet.

Tashiro Bridge.
 Please cross it and go straight.
 There will be a bus stop in front of you.

The place we can find a kitchen car these days is
 here with the yellow arrow.
 Oh, could you figure out a blue house left to the arrow place?
 It’s a secretly famous studio for serigraphy
 where famous and grand Japanese artists ask work
 when they create opus for important exhibition domestic and overseas.

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/

Let’s Visit a Neighbourhood Peak: To Mt. Jitango 寄ジタンゴ山 2

 

There are several routes to the peak of Mt. Jitango ジタンゴ山. Come to think of it, the place was in community use. Several routes would have been developed naturally. Among them, the longest is a kind of shortcut connecting Yadoriki Community to Hadano Pass 秦野峠 and to Lake Tanzawa 丹沢湖. It’s about 10 hours walk in total for us … it would be a route shorter for yester-century’s mountain community. Let’s take the other itinerary for our leisurely day-hiking. It goes like this for a very slow walk:

0:00 Yadoriki Ohtera-bashi Bridge 大寺橋

1:00 The end of a paved forestry road

1:20 The peak of Mt. Jitango (ASL 757.9m)

1:50 Meeting paved Miyachi Forestry Road 宮地林道

2:20 Entering the trekking road to Mt. Miyachi 宮地山

2:50 The peak of Mt. Miyachi (ASL 512m)

3:50 Tashiro Mukai Bus Stop 田代向

When we include short rests and lunch time, it would be about 5-5:30 walk. Not bad for a day hike. Another good thing about this course is there is no cliff or place needing chains or ropes. Of course, steep climbs/descends are there as we’re in Tanzawa 丹沢, but the route would be OK as long as you’re prepared enough water, food, and equipment for emergency (for rain, etc.), in addition to, needless to say, good shoes. 😉

The start is a bridge next to Yadoriki Bus Stop 寄. The commuter bus service to the terminal stop at Yadoriki is from Odakyu Shin-Matsuda Station 小田急新松田駅 (: timetable for the bus services is here). After about half an hour bus ride, we’re at the terminal Yadoriki Stop. When you arrive there, you’ll find a bridge over Nakatsu River 中津川 almost in front of you. That’s Ohtera-bashi Bridge. Please cross it and go straight into Ohtera Community 大寺 of Yadoriki. “Yadoriki” was established in 1876 as one administrative unit made of formerly independent 7 villages of the area. Ohtera Community was one of such villages. Thinking of the location, I guess the village had a large say in management of the field of sedges at the top of Mt. Jitango. Just follow the meandering paved commuter road going through the housings, tea plantations and veggie fields. Here and there you’ll find a smaller paved way, but don’t deviate. Always choose (relatively) wider paved road which is a community forestry road. After both sides of the road becoming simply a forest, there will be a signpost saying, “This way: hiking road to Mt. Jitango.” Er, yeah, you can choose that route which will in the end join our route today. I recommend not entering it but proceeding on the paved road. Reason? Yeah, the route suggested by the post is a standard hiking road, but both sides of this direction are artificially created coniferous forests which could be … boring.

Bridge and Bus Stop

Beyond the bridge is slightly going up.

This way to Mt. Jitango through tea plantations.

You see? Don’t turn right here, but go straight!

The condition of the road eventually becomes like this.
Never mind!

Interestingly, the paved forestry road runs in the mixed forest of afforested conifers and more natural broad-leaved trees. Especially when you’re interested in admiring the variety of broad-leaved vegetation with more diversity in forest floors, this is the way you will choose. Besides, it’s a paved road with very low car traffic, albeit the maintenance of it might be almost forgotten. It could be easier for casual hikers to enjoy Tanzawa’s forest, just like via Mikurube Forestry Road 三廻部林道 (; my posts on November 26 and December 3, 2021). The end of the paved road is an open space where the road from the first signpost “to Mt. Jitango” joins with the forestry road. A laminated direction is pasted on one of the trees, saying “Mt. Jitango, this way.” Simply follow the direction for a narrower unpaved trekking road. Soon our itinerary becomes a real climb where you may feel out of breath. The environment around the route is a mixed forest with afforested confers and natural broad-leaved trees. After less than 30 minutes ascend, we’ll see a ridge before us and in no time the garden of Enkianthus perulatus begins. Welcome to the peak of Mt. Jitango!

Spotted Bellflowers we meet along this route is
Campanula punctata Lam. var. hondoensis (Kitam.) Ohwi,
 an endemic variant of Campanula punctata.
Just like straight hairs of ladies in ancient pictures of Japan,
they have straight calyx lobes without curly appendage
as their cousins of Campanula punctata in more lower altitudes.

We found fallen hairs of deer on the road.

I guess in autumn, the leaves here have
beautiful red and yellow colors that would make
a good contrast with the evergreen of conifers background.

The trekking road departed from our forestry road will join …

here in the end of paved road with a wider space.
The bottom of the picture is the direction we take.

The laminated paper says “Mt. Jitango this way.”

The road becomes like this.

Mixtures of conifers and broad-leaved trees

Almost there …

Welcome to the garden of Enkianthus perulatus!

From the peak to the south, we can see the spread of Odawara City 小田原市, Enoshima Island 江の島, Miura Peninsula 三浦半島, and if weather permits Boso Peninsula 房総半島 beyond Sagmi Bay 相模湾. The island floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is Ohshima Island 大島. To the west, we can identify the towns and cities on the slope of Mt. Fuji including Gotemba City 御殿場市. If it’s fine weather Mt. Fuji 富士山 is over there. The peak of Mt. Jitango is a relaxing open space that is good for a long coffee break or lunch. In July, we started our walk at 9:00 from Yadoriki Bust terminal and arrived there before 10:30, a bit early for lunch. So, we had a long tea break in a misty rain but open sky. From there in today’s itinerary, we proceed following the signpost saying “To Hadano Pass.” Don’t be intimidated by this sign. Follow this direction. After about 20 minutes of rapid descending, we’ll meet another forestry road named Miyachi Forestry Road. This is the junction to Hadano Pass or to Mt. Miyachi. Today, we take the descending direction of Mt. Miyachi. Oh, if you’re interested in Hadano Pass, it’s about 2 hours climb from here with a point after the paved road where we had to ask chains to go over a rocky cliff. You need stamina and proper preparation, I tell you.

The peak of Mt. Jitango

Sagami Bay from Mt. Jitango.
Could you figure out Enoshima Island over there?

To the direction of Gotemba City

The top of Mt. Jitango is surrounded by the garden like this.

Take the route pointed to “Forestry Road / Ameyama Pass.”

It’s really a rapid down.

Here we meet another forestry road. The junction.

This is to Hadano Pass, but

Today, we take this opposite descending direction.

As of July 2023, the Miyachi Forestry Road looked like a recently renovated road. It could be a relatively easy route. Both sides are afforested conifers, but the forest floor here could have interesting features including the species from orchid family. Let’s enjoy the environment nature can provide, which is a luxury available only for an itinerary with time to spare! Eventually we’ll come to a place with a space on our left where the paved forestry road makes a big curve to the right. At the end of an open space there is another trekking road descending. It’s the beginning to the way to Mt. Miyachi. Let’s dive in. Oh, we had lunch there. It’s a matter of preference, but the peak of Mt. Miyachi does not have a view. Here in the open space, we can enjoy the view to Mt. Takamatsu 高松山 (; my posts on January 7 and 14, 2022). Next week, I continue from here to returning to Yadoriki Community.

The road is well maintained this time.

Large broad-leaved trees
also adorned the forestry road.

An open space and
the beginning of a trekking road to Mt. Miyachi

A view where we had lunch.
It’s the slope of Mt. Takamatsu in front of us.

Cyrtosia septentrionalis

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/