フィールド日記

ナンテンの実が赤く色づいています。関東以西に自生していますが、かつて中国から渡来した栽培品が逸出したものとも言われています。和名のナンテンが「難転、難を転ずる」に通ずることから縁起が良い木とされ、公園や庭木としてしばしば植栽されています。


The fruit of "Nanten (ナンテン)" trees has turned red. They live in the west of Kanto region, however, it's said that they derived from the cultivated trees that came from China in the past. The sound of their name can mean "turning difficulty into fortune" so they are regarded as a lucky tree. They are often planted in parks and gardens.

 裏道でヒメクダマキモドキを見つけました。本州では海に近い温暖な地域の林縁などでよく見られる種で、最近では都市部の公園でも見ることが多いようです。特にアカメガシワを好んで食べるようです。


I found a "Hime-Kudamaki-Modoki (ヒメクダマキモドキ)" cricket on the back road. In the main island of Japan, they are often seen on the edge of forests in warm regions near the sea. It's said that they are seen even in parks in the city these days. They like to eat leaves of "Akame-Gashiwa (アカメガシワ)" trees.

裏道でムラサキシキブが紫色の実をつけています。近縁種のコムラサキよりも大型で２～３mになり、実はややまばらにつきます。庭木としては小型で実付きのよいコムラサキのほうがよく見られますが、野生のものはほとんどムラサキシキブかヤブムラサキです。


I found the fruit of "Murasaki-Shikibu (ムラサキシキブ)" on the back road. Compared to a close relative species "Ko-Murasaki (コムラサキ)", they are larger growing up to 3 m in height and bear a little less fruit. "Ko-Murasaki" trees are more often seen in gardens because they are small and bear more fruit. However, in wild, almost all trees that belong to these similar species are "Murasaki-Shikibu" or "Yabu-Murasaki (ヤブムラサキ)".

裏道を歩いていると、目の前を紫の金属光沢のある蝶が横切りました。追いかけて確認するとムラサキツバメでした。後翅に尾状突起があることが特徴で、和名のツバメはこの突起に由来します。近年数が増えていると言われている蝶で、都市部の公園等でも見ることができるようです。しばらく待っていましたが、残念ながら翅を開いて紫色の綺麗な金属光沢を見せてくれることはありませんでした。


Walking on the back road, I saw a shiny purple butterfly flying. I followed the butterfly and found out it was a "Murasaki-Tsubame (ムラサキツバメ)" butterfly. They have tails on their rear wings and "Tsubame (ツバメ)" in their name comes from these tails. It's said that their number is increasing these days, so you can see them even at parks in urban areas. The butterfly didn't open its wings or show the shiny purple on its wings, while I was waiting looking at it.

カニクサが胞子をつけていました。シダ植物のなかまでは珍しくつる性です。茎が他の植物に巻き付きながら成長して葉を出しているように見えますが、実際は、地上に出た1枚の葉がつる状になって成長を続けています。


I found "Kanikusa" fern plants bearing spores. They are unique in that they are a vine plant even though they are a fern plant. It seems as if their stems grew winding other plants and sending out leaves. However, actually, one leaf, which looks like a stem, comes out from the ground growing like a vine.

裏道でセンニンソウの果実を見つけました。花の後、雌しべの花柱（かちゅう、柱頭と子房の間の部分）とその羽毛状の毛が伸びます。和名のセンニンは仙人を意味しており、この果実に生える羽毛状の毛を仙人の白髪に見立てたことに由来します。（センニンソウの花のようすはこちら）


I found the fruit of "Sennin-Sou (センニンソウ)" on the back road. After their flowering period, both their style, which is the part between their ovary and stigma, and their featherlike hair on it grow. “Sennin (センニン)” in its name means hermit and it comes from their featherlike hair on the fruit that looks like the hair of a hermit. (Click here to read an article about flowers of "Sennin-Sou").

駐車場近くのガガイモが果実をつけていました。6cm～10cmにもなる大型の果実で、表面にはいぼ状の突起があります。名前のイモは、地下に芋ができることを意味するのではなく、この果実に由来しています。（ガガイモの花のようすはこちら）


I found the fruit of "Gaga-Imo (ガガイモ)" plants near the parking area. The large fruit with warty surface grows up to 10 cm in length. "Imo (イモ)" in its name means "tuber". However, the name doesn't mean that they have tubers underground but that the name comes from this fruit looking like a tuber. (Click here to read an article about flowers of "Gaga-Imo").

裏道でアオツヅラフジの果実を見つけました。ブルーベリーのような見た目でおいしそうですが、有毒なため食べることはできません。


また、果実の中の種子が、下の写真のようにアンモナイトの化石のように見えることで有名です。


I found the fruit of "Ao-Tsuzurafuji (アオツヅラフジ)" on the back road. They are similar to blueberries and look tasty, but they are not edible because they are poisonous. Their seeds inside the fruit are famous for the fact that they look like fossils of ammonites.

裏道でノササゲの果実が紫に色づいていました。 さらに熟すと、果実が裂開し、黒い種子が出てきます。花は黄色で、9月ごろ咲きます。（ノササゲの花の記事はこちら）


The fruit of "Nosasage (ノササゲ)" plants on the back road is turning purple. When the fruit ripens more, its black seeds will come out by dehiscence. Their flowers are yellow and bloom around September. (Click here to read an article about the flowers of "Nosasage").

裏道にセキヤノアキチョウジが咲いていました。名前のセキヤとは関屋、つまり、関所の役人のいる建物を意味し、本種が箱根の関所の近くで見つかったことに由来します。岐阜県以西に分布するアキチョウジに対し、本種は栃木県から愛知県に分布しています。


"Sekiya-No-Akichouji (セキヤノアキチョウジ)" plants are in bloom on the back road. "Sekiya (セキヤ)" in its name means the buildings where checkpoint officers in the Edo era stayed and the name comes from the fact that this species was first found near the checkpoint in Hakone. These "Sekiya-No-Akichouji" plants grow in the area between Tochigi and Aichi prefecture, while the related plants called "Akichouji (アキチョウジ)" grow in the west of Gifu prefecture.