Ready for Winter: Making firewood in Niiharu Citizen Forest

 

On November 19, Japanese Meteorological Agency issued 3 months forecast for December 2024 - February 2025. According to them, Yokohama would have ‘average’ winter. i.e. The temperature and the rainfall would be around the average of 1991-2020, the recent 30 years. In this world of “approaching +1.5°C,” this means we may not have a freezing winter. But winter will be winter, and we’re expecting such days will come. In Niiharu Citizen Forest, we’re busy making firewood. Actually, since COVID-hubbub, many people become enthusiastic about bonfires and barbecue outdoors, all year around. Niiharu Lovers often have enquiry if we’re selling firewood. Yeah, as we’re thinning and mowing for forest maintenance, we have inventory for the material. But it’s hard to promise a stable supply of firewood. So, we rarely sell it at our workshop. Even though, we use firewood during winter for stoves, and, yes, for baking bamboo charcoal (; my post for March 3, 2017). Almost every winter, we use up all the firewood we prepare during late autumn. Firewood cracking is an important task for Lover’s winter prep.

This year Niiharu’s Reineckea carnea had lots of flowers.
It’s a short delight (for less than a week) of late autumn.
They do not have flowers anymore,
if you visit Niiharu now. Sorry!

Some of you may have an experience using ax or machete. It requires certain skill to make firewood, doesn’t it? Especially when we need firewood used every weekend for at least 3 months, it’s a heavy task. Before, during our charcoal baking we wielded ax or machete on the go to cover the shortage of firewood. I confess I’m very bad at using ax. I aim, brandish the ax, swing it downward, and miss the target log … Sad. However! This year, Lovers get a tool for 21st century firewood making. It’s a motorized ax run by gasoline … er, well, a perverted thing in this world of Global Warming, just like COP meeting in petro-producing places … Anyway, the job done by this machine is certainly quick, and I can make good firewood. This is news, considering my skill level of making firewood, honestly. Let me show you how we’re doing it.

First, this is our material for firewood,

And here is the machine,

Set a log under the ax,

Put down the lever to lower the ax,

Done!

We (temporarily) store firewood here.

During the task, I found not only humans but also the other creatures were preparing for winter. When we cracked a log, lots of larvae made inside log their winter bedroom. Oh, so sorry to break your sleep in this way …

A larvae for beetle (sp.)

ditto!

This year, lots of Porostereum crissum sprouting …

Anyway, autumn this year is too short for Yokohama. *Sigh*

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North
北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Green Environment Bureau
横浜市みどり環境局 

Phone：045-353-1166
FAX：045-352-3086
mk-hokubukoen@city.yokohama.jp

Strange flowers: Flower problem in Yokohama, October 2024

 

Yeah. Fall has begun finally. Though it’s still too hot for the end of October. Weather forecasters say almost as a mantra, this is the weather for the end of September. Temperature et al are in a month delay. In Yokohama, this weekend has been more or less cloudy. The forecasters explained it was due to the autumnal rain front which was normally observed at the end of September. Oh, yes, we all know it. It’s hot these days. The temperatures are still dancing merrily above 20°C (68°F) during daytime. Still, early morning or late evening, it is chilly. Many people struggle to adjust to a rollercoaster ride of weather. Last Wednesday, some weather forecasters issued a warning for violent fluctuation of atmospheric pressure (and temperature) that may cause some people headaches, nausea, etc.

Such travail is not only for humans, perhaps. I told you a story about skinny vampire leeches in Tanzawa last week. Poor creatures. For more lovable organisms, narrative is more or less the same. Flowers are strange this month. Lots of news reported awkward flowering patterns all over Japan. Famous gardens for cosmos or roses do not have enough opening even at the end of October, the high season of autumnal tourism. Maybe, summer-like October lets the vegetables miss the chances of blossoming. They are confused, I guess.

Even sweet autumn clematis open its flowers
 in the end of October, a month late.

In my neighborhood, there are home gardens having full opening of morning glories. In Yokohama, morning glories are flowers for July and August. It is almost a summer tradition for the 1st graders to record and report how they open the flower as homework. I wonder how they managed such a difficult task this year. Morning glories did not open during their summer holidays. Poor kids …

Yeah. Certainly they are lovely. But it is the end of October.

Seniors of Niiharu Lovers murmured their concern for cherry trees in a park near Nagatsuda Station. One of them is flowering. “Isn’t it a kind that has flowers in fall?” “No, no. It’s Someiyoshino. The tree gives us every spring a chance for cherry blossoms party in spring. It’s flowering now.” “Wow.” “Something is happening definitely.” “No doubt.” When flowers are strange, it follows odd fruiting. Japanese snowbell has lots of pretty starshaped flowers in late spring here. In October, when it is a normal year, the flowers become tiny fruits dangling from the twigs. Come December they would be fully-ripen and become nice meals for small wild birds in sleepy winter forests in Yokohama. Sadly this year, the tits could have a harsh winter with fairly limited supply of food, including the fruits of snowbell. Not only that, some snowbells have flowers now. *Gee … what’s going on now …” Poor birds.

Still Chinese hwawei are now singing around in Niiharu.

I’m also worried about Harlequin Glorybower. They should flower during summer here in Yokohama. In standard October, they give us a view of charming blue fruits wrapped in lovely purplish red calyx. For several years by now I’m collecting their blue fruits for my winter project. I need lots of them. I collect them in forests and freeze the bounty for the use. Now in October, I should be busy collecting the fruits of Glorybower. This October, nope. They are flowering now. Yeah, their white and pink at the bottom flowers are lovely. But they should come in July or August … What would happen for my project in this changing climate? Can I report you my adventure with Glorybower fruits soon?

Flowering Harlequin Glorybower in late October …!?

Fruits are there, but in October their calyx is still closing.

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North

北部公園緑地事務所

Yokohama Municipal Government Green Environment Bureau

横浜市みどり環境局

Phone：045-353-1166
FAX：045-352-3086
mk-hokubukoen@city.yokohama.jp

Thinking the real meaning of Perpetual Summer: Summer 2024 in Kanagawa, Japan

 

In terms of earth’s revolution, tomorrow is autumnal equinox. Fall is supposed to conclude its run-up and our closet would be ready for jackets. Not this year. Yup. According to Japan Meteorological Agency, the final week of September in Japan could finally see the end of SUMMER, with temperature typical for the end of August until just a couple of years ago … Has the earth at last reached the tipping point of warming? I don’t know. One thing is for sure. Now the bugs in the forest are in full swing.

When I started posting this blog, activities in summer could not be done without insect-repellent. If that’s in the forests of Yokohama, I sprayed Icardin from head to toe. If it was for somewhere in and around of Tanzawa Mountains, applying leech repellent in lower limbs was the “Must.” We’re doing it now as before, but the power of the chemicals has been too powerful to be true this year. During high summer 2024, I had impression we did not have much problem with bugs. Instead, we’re welcoming bugs’ bites now in the equinox week. I guess bugs and leeches were baked in the hottest summer. They could not be active.

Normally uber-aggressive Black hornet. 
It was busy devouring nectar from Quercus acutissima
 in September.

Not only annoying mosquitos, but also birds were very subdued during high summer this year. Once in a month, normally in the first weekend morning, we’re recording fixed point observations of wild birds in Niiharu Citizen Forest. We had only a limited result this summer. Yeah, birds are descendent of cold blood dinos. They cannot control their own body against fluctuations of outer temperature. If it is too hot, their entire body is boiling. In such days, they stay somewhere in shade quietly. I imagine birds’ hot summer days would be like sick days of flu for us … Poor creatures. Our September observations this year only recorded crows and Chinese hwameis. It must have been a harsh and very LONG summer for birds. Are they OK?

Too strong sunshine …

Ditto for vampire leeches. Basically, they do not like dry environments. The way Tanzawa area received rain showers during summer 2024 may have affected the condition the bugs lived. Dry spells for several days, then, suddenly flood-level pouring came. The leeches must have confused. When we carelessly stomped in the bushes of Yadorii Water Source Forest this summer, we could often escape the attack of vampires. The shrubs were dry, and so was the soil. Not kind for leeches. i.e. All small creatures in the forests of Kanagawa Prefecture had difficult times this summer. They may find a respite now when the nights become longer than days. And, look! There comes prey (= we) for blood sucking!

I won’t be surprised if a vampire is in this photo, but …

So, in September the topic of conversations among forest volunteers finally becomes insects’ bites. It’s still damned hot, but (we hope) it’s milder now than in August. We notice bugs flying or crawling around us. Now’s the time for insect repellent to be useful. “I’m trying this new shirt made of high-tech material.” “What?” “It’s sold with a jingle the fabric itself had insect repelling function.” “Is it effective?” “I don’t know. And the fabric is too thick to wear during August. I have not tried it until now.” “Oh …” “ You know, I’ve also tried your kind of shirt before.” “Oh, then …?” “I was bitten by a black fly, and had a swollen arm. The fabric was too thin. The bug could insert his needle without directly landing on my skin.” “Heck” … It went like this. An earnestly important topic now! But just a couple of years ago didn’t we engage in such chat a bit earlier, during August, perhaps?

Parapodisma tenryuensis

Munch, munch … striped flea beetle

Meanwhile, the demanding mowing continues for months by now. In the weekend of equinox, we still made a heap of cut grass in Niiharu. I recalled my question to Lu Xun and really wanted to ask him how they mowed wild grass in China, if Chinese grass was “trampled upon and mown down, until it dies and decays as long as it lived it.” (My post on June 23, 2004) In fortnight, we will definitely feel the night is longer. Yet the wild grass is growing. Strange temperature …

Oh, so vigorous wild grass …

The Red Spider Lily is almost buried
in the other wild grass this weekend.
This is supposed to be the season of their one-man show …
 (; my post on September 29, 2023).

Summer Darter this weekend.
Yup, they fly around till the very late autumn for sure.
But they can be observed more commonly during summer.

A scene during a short break of mowing.

Even Japanese walnuts are still green.
They are supposed to be in harvest time!

There is also fun. Lots of beautiful butterflies are busy now recovering the lost opportunity. They stop wherever they find nectar and stay there longer. We can admire them with plenty of time, thinking if they are all right in these hotter September days. Summer is ending. We’re also exhausted …

Hestina assimilis is busy drinking from a sweat-drenched shirt
 from one of the seniors of Niiharu Lovers.
It needed salt, we guessed.
By the way, this butterfly is registered as
 an Invasive Alien Species in Japan.
 Basically, it is common in Southeast Asia and Continental East Asia.
 It suddenly appeared in Saitama Prefecture in 1995.
 In 2015 there is a record it was flying at the summit of Mt. Fuji.
 Experts are suspecting somebody
intentionally released the original brought from overseas.
Warming climate of Japanese megalopolis encouraged it to prosper.
This year, it was SOOOOOOOO ubiquitous in Yokohama.
Its lifestyle is like endemic Hestina persimilis japonica.
People are worrying it could compete ecologically
 and win over the natives.

A Straight swift on flowers of garlic chives

Beautiful Japanese oakblue

Nordstromia japonica is sleeping in the shade.

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North
北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Green Environment Bureau
横浜市みどり環境局

Phone：045-353-1166
FAX：045-352-3086
mk-hokubukoen@city.yokohama.jp

Lilies in Niiharu 2024: Golden-rayed Lilies in Niiharu, II 新治市民の森

 

Lilies opened this year again. The scent of them was impressive as previous years in the chestnut orchard of Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森 (; my post on July 21, 2023). The slope covered by the lilies is the property of the City of Yokohama. At the moment, the committee for Niiharu Forest, consisted of the city office, we the Lovers, neighborhood associations surrounding the forest, and elementary schools near the forest (; my post on April 22, 2016), is discussing how to proceed the management of the place. The original plan of the Office was to clear the ground and plant seedlings of broad-leaved trees as the original chestnut trees are old enough for dying out. Though the splender of the lilies these recent years is changing the minds of people ... We‘ll see how it turns out.

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North
北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Green Environment Bureau
横浜市みどり環境局

Phone：045-353-1166
FAX：045-352-3086
mk-hokubukoen@city.yokohama.jp

Breaking News: Golden-rayed Lilies will fully bloom next weekend in Niiharu 新治市民の森

 

Before talking about forests in Sagamihara Plateau, I have to tell you this. Golden-rayed lilies in the chestnut orchard of Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森 (; my post on July 21, 2023) will bloom fully next weekend. Already this weekend, the impressive scent of the flower has started to waft. If you’re around Yokohama, please come. It will be impressive again this year. 😍

The slope of the chestnut orchard in
Niiharu Citizen Forest as of July 6, 2024.

The buds were plump.
Today, I rescued some of them strangled
by vine plants like Dioscorea tokoro.

Gooseneck loosestrife and
salvia japonica are also beautiful now.

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North
北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau
横浜市環境創造局

Phone: 045-311-2016 

FAX: 045-316-8420

Baby Boar’s Hands: Polystichum polyblepharum in Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森

 

Spring is coming. Winter buds are unfurling even under occasional snow showers. Plum flowers are already falling. We must be ready for cherry blossoms in a couple of weeks. Niiharu Citizen Forest 新治市民の森 is not an exception. We Lovers are finding lots of frog eggs in ponds. “Don’t you think it’s a bit earlier than usual?” “Yeah.” “And I’ve found not only the eggs of Montane brown frogs (my post on March 31, 2023). There are lots of eggs for toads.” “Me too!” Surely, spring is coming. Another light-hearted news. Polystichum polyblepharum is back. Let me explain.

Many kinds of eggs

These days we have been worrying the health of a part of Niiharu Forest where ferns are covering the ground beneath the afforested cedars. When the spot was a private property years ago, the landlord planted lots of Japanese cedars which loved humid environment like here in a valley along small stream from springs. Inevitably, the place was also favored by ferns, especially humidity enjoying Polystichum polyblepharum. Then, after Typhoon Hagibis in 2019 when lots of cedars there were damaged, we noticed apparent decline in the colony of Polystichum polyblepharum. “Hmmmmm … in any case, we had to deal with the broken and fallen cedars. So, our intervention was inevitable.” “The level of humidity has been continuously declining in the slope of the hill for decades as the other side was completely developed for housing, right? The underground water vein was already damaged by concreated roads and housings.” “Even though, was it a right thing for us removing the fallen trees which would increase the direct sunshine coming into the valley?” The discussion is continuing …

The power of typhoon …

Yet, in 2020 6 months later of the typhoon 
Polystichum polyblepharum was yet standing …

Instead of Polystichum polyblepharum, another ferns like Arachniodes standishii that is more tolerant of drier environment began overtaking the space of Polystichum polyblepharum. Yeah, this fern is also beautiful, but I would say, its mysteriousness is a touch short of the atmosphere Polystichum polyblepharum creates. Last year, there came another theory. “Maybe, Polystichum polyblepharum is sick.” “Meaning?” “At least we have not found massive attack by caterpillars of sawflies, or leaf beetles.” “Or, they are infected by some virus (; yup, we’re in the post-COVID era) that causes the decline of the species.” “Like?” “Brown spots.” “Hmmmmmmm …” “Have you found leaves of Polystichum polyblepharum that are affected by brown spots for sure?” “Er …” We were wondering what was happening there, and if there was something we can do for that.

A year later, in 2021, from the above photo.
Could you feel a change?

And in 2022.
Don’t you think the scenery looks scarce of something?

Then, this year we’ve found in the valley lots of buds of Polystichum polyblepharum! Polystichum polyblepharum has Japanese name “Inode 猪手“ which means “Boar’s Hand.” It is said that for ancient people the buds of Polystichum polyblepharum looked like boar’s hand (foot?), and so they called the fern Inode. Early March this year we could find lots of cute boar’s hands here and there. Hurrah! “Oh, I’m so relieved to see them now!” “Last snowfall let the boughs of cedars falling on the boar’s hands. Let us clean up and help the baby to grow easily.” “Yup!” We did a little bit of cleaning over the head of the buds of Polystichum polyblepharum. Maybe, their previous ones were old enough to show apparent decline. Now, they are recovering with seedlings. I’m not sure if the kids of Polystichum polyblepharum can grow up beautiful adults. If our speculation on the changes in water vein is apt, they may have difficulty in survival. Yet still … I’m keep crossing my fingers for our concern being needless anxiety because due to human short temper, not out of the calm flow of forest time … Cherry blossoms are coming!

A baby is born!

Lots of babies!

If you find a problem in the greenery of north-half of Yokohama, please make a contact with

Office for the Park Greeneries in the North
北部公園緑地事務所
Yokohama Municipal Government Creative Environment Policy Bureau
横浜市環境創造局

Phone: 045-311-2016
FAX: 045-316-8420