Bio Garden News

On Tuesday, August 6th, we cooperated with the "Summer Vacation Elementary School Students Environmental Study Session" hosted by Koto Ward, and 28 elementary school students and their parents who live in the ward visited Millennium Forest.
After a brief explanation of the Millennium Forest and the environmental issues surrounding us, the participants were free to stroll around the park using the checklists provided.

In the afternoon, I went to the Millennium Forest and discovered some Oriental Turtle Doves!
The way they look so close to each other is quite striking. Are they a couple?

A swallowtail butterfly pupa can be seen on the summer mandarin orange tree near the upper pond!
Swallowtail butterflies seem to prefer citrus trees, and traces of their larvae eating the leaves could be seen everywhere.
I hope it will hatch from its chrysalis soon and we will be able to see it flying around energetically in the forest.

We spotted a kingfisher perched on a branch near the upper pond!
Last month, the second kingfisher chick finally left the nest, bringing the parenting that began around spring to a close, but the birds still visit the Millennium Forest on a regular basis.
The heat continues, but seeing the beautiful light blue feathers of a kingfisher makes me feel refreshed.

I discovered a tree with branches full of fruit! This is a snowbell tree.
The snowbell tree is aspect for producing fruits about 1cm in diameter from summer to autumn, and these fruits have apparently been used to make soap.

The pink flowers blooming near the entrance to the Millennium Forest are Japanese bush clover.
It is aspect by the many small flowers that bloom from summer to autumn, and its beauty is said to have been described in the famous collection of waka poetry, the Manyoshu!
It's wonderful to be able to see the same flowers as people who lived there long ago.