Author: vc-dev

Temperature is getting low in early morning.(4.27)
The lowest temperature of visitor center is -5℃.
During this season,trees are seems welcomed to coming spring.
It is difficult to know this picture so marked red oval.
They get over the severe cold and Birch is getting active while raising temperature.
Sound of falling drop while walking around in forest.
Thought it was rain but was sound of dropping sap and hit dead leaves.
Sap is flowing out from scar Dendrocopos leucotos picked at birch then dropped on a ground while go along stem.
Suck up nutrients and moisture from root for summer, passing through the stem and transmit to branch.
Finally flowers, animals and trees have started to act for spring.

Day by day we feel spring.
“Caltha palustris var. barthei” starts to bloom.
Middle of April to end of April most of day was snowy.
Sometimes it was snow storm.
We can’t say “Now is perfect spring”
But many flowers are blooming.

On the other hand it still snow at the 7th station of Mt.Kurodake.
There is 310cm snow! It is about 50cm more snow than last year’s.

This morning
Sounkyo is covered with white snow.
Since last night it has been snowed.
We got 10cm snow.
All traffic road and Onsen mall’s road are frozen.
Be careful to drive and walk when you visit Sounkyo.
(As the temperature is rising, road will be good!)

This picture is “Sciurus vulgaris orientis ” that is full of energy.
He is running putting a walnut in his mouth.

Sounkyo’s weather is unstable.
But “Rhododendron dauricum” ,” “Corydalis fumariifolia subsp. azurea”, Caltha palustris var. barthei”, and “Lysichiton camtschatcensis Schott” start to bloom.

But we feel spring is coming very slowly.
We may wait spring for a while.
Prefectural road 223 Aizankei~Kamikawa line May 6th open
Prefectural road 1162 Ginsendai line Jun 17th 11:00 open
Prefectural road Kougenonsen line Jun 10th 9:30 open
These schedule are subject to change depending on the weather.
In case these are changed, we will announce again.

“Nyctereutes procyonoides albus” woke up from hibernation.
He was dillydallying, walked slowly to find foods.

Actually “Nyctereutes procyonoides albus” don’t hibernate.
He stays still his nest and expend his own fat that he ate last autumn.
Soon it will be breeding season.
We want to see cute and healthy babies.

Lepus timidus ainu


Now is shedding season for “Lepus timidus ainu”
It has still winter white fur, soon it will turn to summer fur.
It depends on each rabbit to shed, some rabbit have almost summer fur.

Finally I took a picture of a rabbit.
Because rabbit runs over 80km per hour, and more it is the fastest mammal in Japan.

Few days ago a storm warning had been issued.
Unseasonable blizzard and heavy rain, temperature difference are very unique weather.
It is hard month for human and wild animals.