around the neighborhood

Friday I had an errand in Ikeda, it was a sunny day, actually it was super humid, but still sunny, so I decided to walk back from Ikeda to Ishibashi (where we live).

The walk usually takes me 30 minutes if I don't stop along the way.

But it was so hot that I stopped here and there along the way and 30 minutes turned into 2 hours.

One of the places that I stopped at was Suigetsu Park.

There were many dragonfly about. In Okinawa, I heard that when the dragonflies swarm about, a storm is approaching. I don't think there were too many to be a sign of a storm coming, but I was excited to capture some with my camera (I guess that is why it turned out to be 2 hours...)

Anyway, there was the akatombo (red dragonfly)(photo up top). It actually came close enough for me to get a good shot of it with my macro lens on.

These blue ones are called shiokaratombo. Actually I didn't realize this, but dragonflies are kinda huge! and have scary eyes.

And then I saw this one, a black and yellow one, I think it is called oniyanma.

The zakuro (pomegranate) have started to flower and begin to produce their fruit. I didn't know that the flower turns into a hard flower and then forms into the fruit.

And oniazami (thistle), you can see these huge thorny plants (weeds?) all over the place. Definitely bigger than the ones I've seen in Hawaii.

At night you can hear the frogs croaking in the rice fields. I think in a couple of weeks the semi(cicada) will start their chirping.