Author: vc-dev

*I have reduced the size of the photo.
I found a Elaphe climacophora in a Pteromys volans orii nest.
I pray that the squirrel escaped…
The snake is a natural enemy of squirrels.
It does not climb trees by winding up it. Rather, it has what are called “keels” on both edges of its ventral (abdominal) scales. The snake can hook them onto tree trunks or branches to climb vertically. (People tend to think that the snakes live on the ground, but I have seen them drooping from tree branches during forest walks. They have the ability to move overhead through the trees.)
The snake’s climbing makes a very faint sound. Squirrels that hear this sound feel threatened and leave their nests.
I wonder if the one that lived here heard the noise.
Photo: A Elaphe climacophora in a Pteromys volans orii nest (Kamikawa Town) May 3

Today I came upon some Rana pirica as they were laying their eggs.
An infinite number of eggs had been laid around the edge of a small pond.
A single female normally lays a mass of eggs that contains about 1,000 individual eggs.
Accordingly, it is said that the number of frogs in an area can be determined by counting the number of egg masses. However, in the pond I saw, the masses appeared to be connected to each other, so there was no way of counting them.
Although the pond was small, the eggs had been laid over a fairly long area. It’s apparent that a great many tadpoles will be born
*I’ve kept the photo small out of consideration for people who find such scenes unpleasant.
Photo: A Rana pirica at Sounkyo May 3

One after another, flowers (trees) that announce the arrival of spring are blooming.
Magnolia kobus, Rhododendron dauricum, Erythronium japonicum, Trillium apetalon…
They are joining the already blooming Corydalis fumariifolia subsp. azurea, Adonis ramosa, and Anemone debilis to create vibrant landscapes.
Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the cherry blossoms.
Photos: Magnolia kobus var. borealis (left), Rhododendron dauricum (center), and Erythronium japonicum (right) at Kamikawa Town May 3

Quietly, I watched a Sciurus vulgaris orientis eating a walnut. It seemed to be enjoying it very much.
First the squirrel found the walnut and then took it to a safe place (left photo). Then it gnawed on the walnut with a “gaji-gaji” sound along the line to break it in two from the center (center photo).
When the walnut cracked after a few minutes, the squirrel held it so it wouldn’t fall and ate one side at a time (right photo).
However, when a walnut cracks open completely, one half usually falls to the ground. Thus, after eating one half, the squirrel must go down to retrieve it and begin the process again from the step shown in the left-hand photo.
Yet these squirrels are smart. Sometimes they don’t open the walnut open all the way, but only apply enough pressure to crack it (in this case, the cracked side does stays attached to the bottom of the walnut). This way they can eat both sides together.
The squirrel I was watching scampered off into the forest the moment it finished eating.
Photos: A feeding Sciurus vulgaris orientis in Sounkyo Apr. 30

One of the photos shows the view of the Daisetsuzan peaks as seen from Kamikawa Park in Kamikawa Town.
The temperature has been climbing these past few days and the mountains’ rocky slopes have become visible.
However, at Mt. Kurodake’s 7th Station, the snow is still 430 cm deep.
The snow is melting rapidly, but there is still so much of it.
Last year, snow fell through the Golden Week holidays even in the flatlands. However, this year is different, as the rise in temperature has been remarkable.
Undoubtedly some people are planning to enter the mountains during the holidays. I do hope they will take extra precautions against avalanches.
In the flatlands, however, conditions are becoming more spring-like all the time.
The other photo shows the great degree to which populations of blooming Corydalis fumariifolia subsp. azurea have grown.
Photos: The Daisetsuzan peaks (left) and Corydalis fumariifolia subsp. azurea (right) photographed in Kamikawa Town Apr. 29