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Ume(梅) and mejiro(メジロ).

同一記事の日本語版

   Today, Adobe has released another version for resolving a permissions issue, Flash Player 11.6.602.171, and, the mailing list for Apache-Users has told me Apache HTTP Server 2.4.4 which is for fixing CVE-2012-3499 and CVE-2012-4558. So, I’m busy with them (^o^).

   By the way, these days, the ume(梅) are blooming beautifully in my garden, and, some mejiro visit it almost everyday. I tried to take a picture several times, but I cannot have them which satisfy me. I’ve stopped asking too much and am writing the post now (^^;).

   We have an idiom “ume(梅) ni uguisu(鶯)”, which we use as a positive meaning of “hand and glove”. But I’ve never seen uguisu(鶯) at the peak bloom period for ume blossoms. Though I know a card called “ume(梅) ni uguisu(鶯)” exists in Hanafuda, the bird on the card looks more like a mejiro than a uguisu. Actually, the uguisu mainly eats insects, so they maybe have no interest in ume blossoms, which bloom in early spring and don’t have a lot of insects, I guess.

   You can see the image of uguisu on Wikipedia and can get its subdued color. As its song is beautiful, our ancestors might have expected them have like mejiro’s color. Then, the misunderstanding expression was maybe created. The same way as 仏法僧.

   Now, I show you my mejiro photos. Sorry, the captions still remain in Japanese because I pasted its source from my Japanese blog.

2羽撮れた。10羽ほど来てた。
2羽撮れた。10羽ほど来てた。
こっち向いて!!
こっち向いて!!
嘴を花に突っ込んで,食事。
嘴を花に突っ込んで,食事。

10 replies on “Ume(梅) and mejiro(メジロ).”

Very beautiful flowers. There are no apricot or plum trees or anything like that in this part of the world (except in the high mountain where they grow some plums and peaches), and I’m always amazed when I see the pictures of their blooming. It must be particularly beautiful to see them bloom in the winter, very heart warming.
We are starting our version of the spring now so we have very pretty flowers as well. It’s also very hot at the moment.
I hope you’re enjoying yourself with that pretty sight and with the birds visiting.

Yes, I love Ume (梅) than Sakura (桜). (^o^)
They bring spring to us every year.

This year, the first bud burst in my garden was February 11th, and, at that day the temperature was around 8℃ even daytime. At the night, it dropped to below 0.
Today, my ume(梅) are still blooming beautifully, and the daytime temperature has reached almost 20℃. So, I think “Spring has come.” when I see ume blossoms. Besides, they give off the sweet smell, and I feel it is very spiritual.

> We are starting our version of the spring now so we have very pretty flowers as well.

Please show me your spring flowers on your site, if possible.

It really sounds like Ume trees are really a wonderful thing. Good for you!
As for my spring flowers, I’m afraid I left my camera at work over the weekend so I couldn’t take any pictures and today I tried and they were awful. The light, the colors, the focus, it was all wrong. I have to admit that I’m much more comfortable taking pictures up close than whole trees…
I might try again later this week but I can’t make any promises on the quality of the pictures.
If you are on facebook I can give you some links of people who have done albums and groups about the trees and others plants at full bloom. Or if you prefer I can give you the names of the trees I really like so you can see them.

Thank you so much. Don’t mind my previous comment so much!! I wrote ‘if possible’.

> if you prefer I can give you the names of the trees I really like so you can see them.

I prefer this. Thanks again.

Well, my favourites would be:
Bucare (Erytrhina poeppigiana and Erythrina velutina),
Araguaney (Tabebuia chrysantha),
Apamate (Tabebuia rosea),
Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia),
Samán (Albizia saman),
Urape (Bauhinia variegata),
Nazareno (Petrea volubilis),
Tung (Aleurites fordii),
Mare Mare (Cassia grandis) and, of course,
Flamboyant (Delonix regia).
Those are just the ones I can think of right now but the list could go on and on. They are, or will be very soon, blossoming so the city I live in is full of color right now.

Oh! Thanks.
I’ve searched them to find. When I find one of them has a Japanese name, I added it.

Bucare (Erytrhina poeppigiana and Erythrina velutina),
Araguaney (Tabebuia chrysantha),キバナノウゼン
Apamate (Tabebuia rosea),
Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia),キリモドキ
Samán (Albizia saman),モンキーポッド
Urape (Bauhinia variegata),
Nazareno (Petrea volubilis),
Tung (Aleurites fordii),シナアブラギリ
Mare Mare (Cassia grandis),
Flamboyant (Delonix regia),ホウオウボク

Are the images correct? They are very beautiful and colorful.

Yes they’re right! Some of them are very tropical so I’m surprised they have Japanese names.
I have to admit I’ve never seen a Flamboyant tree with as many flowers as the one in that picture. That was really impresive!

> Some of them are very tropical.

Oh, really? All these Japanese names are made of words combining. Like this.

キバナノウゼン = キ + バナ(ハナ) + ノウゼン = yellow + flower + Campsis
キリモドキ = キリ + モドキ = paulownia + faked
モンキーポッド = モンキー + ポッド = monkey + pod *This is katakanalization(?) by pronunciation.
アブラギリ = アブラ + ギリ(キリ) = oil + paulownia
ホウオウボク = ホウオウ + ボク = Chinese phoenix + tree

I heard a city in Okinawa has a line of Araguaney trees, though I have never been there. You can see it on the map and the site. Okinawa is the most southern prefecture of Japan and its climate zone is Subtropics.

Flamboyant picture, I found its source is on flickr and from South Miami, FL, USA. The full flowers are so gorgeous, which you made your handle from.

It’s so cool that such a street exists! If I ever go to Japan, I have to go there!
Funny with the names of the trees since they are not necessarily related with their true nature. I mean, Tabebuia it’s not the same as Campsis and Tung are very far and different (at least in my eyes) to Paulownia. Last but not least, Flamboyants are not from China, they’re from Madagascar.
It happens a lot with plants and animals that the name gives you some false facts about it.

> It happens a lot with plants and animals that the name gives you some false facts about it.

Yes, it’s possible. But it happens all the time that human beings sometimes give a wrong name to unfamiliar plant and animal when they’ve first met. I think, if they have no relation with their true nature, Japanese might give a similar name when they have a similar usage of purpose.

> If I ever go to Japan, I have to go there!

I hope you can someday!

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