抱卵 incubation

カイツブリのつがいが、卵を温めています。均等に温めるため卵を時々回転させます。雌雄が交代で抱卵していますが、両者とも巣を離れるときは、卵に葉をかけて隠します。何処からそんな知恵が生まれるのでしょう。

A couple of grebes are warming their eggs. They occasionally rotate the eggs to warm evenly. Mother and father heat the eggs by turns. When the both of them leave the nest, they hide the eggs with a leaf. I wonder how do they have got the wisdom?

抱卵　little grebe warm eggs

回転　rotate eggs to warm evenly

葉で覆う　cover eggs with leaf

すぐ戻る　I'll back soon

隠れて撮影　these photos taken from hiding place

コウヤカミツレ Dyer's chamomile

和名の「コウヤカミツレ」は、「紺屋カミツレ」からきた名前で、その意味は「染物屋のカモミール」という意味です。英名とぴったり一致するのが面白いですね。コウヤカミツレは、草木染めに利用されるそうです。布がどのような黄色に染まるのか見てみたいものです。

The Japanese name "コウヤカミツレ" comes from "紺屋カミツレ", which means "Dyer's chamomile: chamomile of dyer." It is interesting that both names match exactly. It seems to be used as vegetable dyeing. I would like to see what kind of yellow the cloth is dyed.

ニゲル Devil-in-a-bush

風船のように膨らんだ実の中には、黒い種が沢山詰まっていますが、軽くて空っぽのように見えます。なんだかヒソヒソ話をしているようです。

In the inflated capsule like a balloon, many black seeds are packed, but it looks like aerial thing and empty for me. They seem to be whispering to each other.

睡蓮 water lily

「睡蓮」を「水蓮」と誤解していたことがあります。

I had thought that "睡蓮" was "水蓮" by mistake.
The pronunciation of "睡" and "水" are the same as "sui".  "睡" means sleeping, "水" means water. The name of "睡蓮" seems to have the meaning that the flower closes during night and sleeps.
A "Water lily" is a "Sleeping lily" in Japanese name.

見分けがつかない indistinguishable

アヤメ、カキツバタ、ハナショウブ、いずれもよく似た花なので区別がむずかしいです。ウィキペディアの記事から判断すると、この花は、ハナショウブだと思います。

It is difficult to distinguish Ayame, Kakitubata and Hanasyoubu because they are all similar flowers. Judging from the Wikipedia article, I think these flowers are Hanasyobus.

URL:
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%A4%E3%83%A1#%E8%A6%8B%E5%88%86%E3%81%91%E6%96%B9

copied from Wikipeda

八重咲きドクダミ double-flowered dokudami

八重咲きのドクダミを始めて見ました。普通に見られる一重咲きのドクダミと同じ匂いを持っています。

This is my first time to see double-flowered Dokudamis. It has the same smell as a single flowered Dokudami.
The botanical name of dokudami is Houttuynia cordata.

若いマユミの実 young fruit of Mayumi

マユミの木の下をくぐるとき、まだ若い実がシルエットで見えました。

As I passed under the Mayumi tree, I saw still young fruits as a silhouette.
The botanical name of Mayumi is Euonymus hamiltonianus Wall.