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Monday, October 10, 2011

Autumn walk through cosmoses



Cosmos is one of the typical and the most loved autumn flowers in Japan.   They might be thought to have been blooming since the ancient times because they are too often seen here and there, but in fact they are native to the meadow areas of Mexico.  They were imported into Japan via Spain around 1887.


In Japan, cosmos means Cosmos Bipinnatus Cav., which comes in pink, rose, red, and white. It is written 秋桜 meaning autumn cherry pink.


In spite of their wispy texture and elegance, they are prolific and as strong as weeds.  Climate of Japan would be suitable for cosmos. 



Cosmos are seen throughout the country, along the roadside or riverside, in the fields, in the gardens, either wild or cultivated.   Not only flowers but also feathery foliage is lovely.


This place is Yagyu Village on the outskirts of Nara City.   Yagyu Iris Garden  is about 10 minutes' drive from here. Yagyu has been a heart of Japanese swordsmanship, Yagyu Shinkage-ryu school.  



Though it was Sports Day today, a national holiday, people were sparse except some people who stopped their cars or bikes.  My husband and I could almost monopolize these scenery.


Cosmoses are swaying in autumn breeze overlooking the village.








Cosmoses are blooming along the brooks, on the paths between the fields or the paddies, which makes pastel pink borders.





Cosmic beauty?

Why is this flower called cosmos?    "Spanish priests grew cosmos in their mission gardens in Mexico. The evenly placed petals led them to christen the flower "Kosmos," the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe."

42 comments:

  1. Beautiful. They look so delicate and the pink color really gives them a lovely look. Loved all the pics, especially the one with the water in the background.
    They do make the whole picture scenic.
    Have a fabulous week ahead:)

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  2. gorgeous, so soft and natural, the pinks are outstanding!!

    what a view!!

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  3. Hello Yoko !
    How beautiful. I love pink blooms.
    But in my country cosmos grows only in gardens.

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  4. Faktycznie opanował te tereny, ale pięknie to wygląda i jesteście pewno z tego dumni.W moim ogródku rosną te delikatne kwiaty. Pozdrawiam

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  5. Cosmoses are very popular here as well! The are so beautiful and your photos are simply great!
    Have a nice new week Yoko:)

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  6. Cosmos is one of my favorite plants, stardust, and it’s nice to see a variety of them captured with such elegance through your photos. They also grow prolifically here in southwestern BC. I love their sturdy yet wistful nature. I did not realize where the name came from so thank you for that information. I’ve often equated the sprinkling of the flower over fields like planets in the cosmos. :)

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  7. This is a beautiful place! How wonderful to see so many cosmos blooming. It doesn't grow wild here but we have it as a garden flower in the summer. Mine have finished flowering now. They provide a pretty splash of colour in a flower bed, but I haven't seen them in a mass. I like the way that so many different shades are growing wild together. It always gives a shimmering effect to have slightly different colours next to each other.

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  8. Beautiful series of photos! It is very interesting to know why this flower called cosmos!

    I went to see cosmos, but I did not like the colors of the cosmos there. The cosmos which you took photos are really what I wanted to see.

    It was an co-incidence. Because in former blog, I was going to post Mannyo Botanical Garden. The butterfly in my last photo, I guess, was the same one in your photo.

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  9. Zafiro, es preciosas tus fotos, amiga... me han emocionado y más porque parece que pararon en España, sí por aquí también las hay... sabes... he visto en tus letras un HAIKU... que dice así...


    Follaje pluma(Fo.lla.je.plu.ma 5)

    frontera de pastel (fron.te.ra.de.pas.tel 7 = 6 + 1)

    esgrima cósmica (es.gri.ma.cós.mi.ca 5 = 6 - 1)

    Muchos besos

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  10. Hello Yoko,
    What a beautiful color this Comos brings. It is also great to read where it was found and where the name of this flower came from.
    Have a lovely week.
    Warm wishes
    Marijke

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  11. I always enjoy your photos as they are full of energy and beauty. Cosmos as you write are growing almost as weeds and we use them a lot on our flower beds in villages as they are flowering until late into the season! I didn't know that they had been introduced in Japan only in the late 19th century. I love learning all these interesting facts. Thank you. DeeBee

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  12. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE IN MY JOINTLY LOOK VERY PRETTY, I THINK ALSO CALLED THE COSMOS
    AS ALWAYS EXCELLENT PHOTOS
    GREETINGS FROM PATAGONIA

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  13. What an enchanting look the cosmos have created, how beautiful they must appear in person. Wish I had a field of cosmos....or even just a cosmos lined path.
    Thank you for another lovely post, Yoko!

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  14. These are wonderful photo series of so many beautiful cosmos!
    I never seen such an impressive scenery with cosmos growing gregariously.

    By the way, from my poor knowledge, Yagyu village is a heartland of Ninja, is that right?

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  15. Just beautiful shots of Cosmos; so many subtle colour variations.

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  16. I love cosmos--you are right, they are hardy and prolific. Absolutely lovely photos. I love all the shades of pink --beautiful. Mickie :)

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  17. Thanks for sharing these beautiful cosmos!! I have always loved the color pink of cosmos. It is so special. Pink is a softer, less violent red. Pink must be the sweet side of red!! And it looks like the pink that you can find in cosmos transcends worldliness!

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  18. Hello, stardust.

    "Kosmo"
    The cosmos is a really grand flower!

    I love sounds of the words of "universe".

    The space is the infinity.
    The human being is the limitedness.
    The profound truth.

    Thank you.

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  19. They are beautiful places. You're lucky.
    The cosmos is a flower I like very much, unfortunately like a lot
    even the snails and I can not grow it.
    Ciao
    Loretta

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  20. もちろん!コスモスは好きな花のひとつです。園芸種より野に咲くコスモスが好きです。メキシコ原産とは知りませんでした。日本の田園風景にぴったりと寄り添っている感じがします。写真は、そのイメージをとてもよくとらえていてすばらしいです。

    近くの自治会が、毎年コスモスの種をまいて丹精込めて育てられ、川の土手沿いがみごとなコスモス通りとなっていましたが、今年はなぜか咲いていなくて寂しく思っています。

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  21. Lovely to see these flowers growing wild!I look forward to reconnecting on your return.

    All best wishes Yoko,
    Ruby

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  22. Fabulous shots. Cosmos are beautiful. Take care Yoko - I look forward to your posts when you return.
    Evelyn

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  23. I didn't know that cosmos are related to Spain and Mexico.It's interesting because I find many cosmos while I walk around my neighborhood such as a park and roadside.
    The color is same to these photos.Beautiful.

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  24. Such gorgeous shots and amazing colours.

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  25. コスモスは、幼い頃見た花のうちで最も印象深い花です。コスモスの野は原風景のよう。自分のこころのなかのコスモスはなかなか写真になりませんが、このポストのはどれもしっくりと素敵ですね。

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  26. Hello Stardust,
    Whatg a treasure. so many of them and so gloriously dainty and bright. Loely to see such a profusion.

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  27. Although cosmos is popular here we don't often see them in the wild. Your photos/countryside is spectacularly beautiful!! Loved going through these fabulous images.

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  28. My beloved friend Yoko
    What beautiful photos!!!
    Cosmo is lovely! And Japan is wonderful country!
    I hope to be your whole family well and will meet again ....
    With sincere friendship

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  29. Many people plant cosmos here - but they don't survive our winters. We have to buy new ones in the spring to plant. Your photos are lovely - so nice to see them growing wild.

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  30. Hi, Yoko!

    秋桜は美しい花ですね! I like how it's written, so poetic.

    Hope to see you soon! Have a nice week.
    -Ekaterina

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  31. Beautiful! I would love to see this with my own eyes.
    I hope you are back to the computer very soon, Yoko!

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  32. Whenever I visit your blog I get this feeling of calm beauty and want to find out where the photos were taken so I could go there are meditate and feel that calm beauty wash over me.

    I had not heard of the cosmos flower, but their fragile beauty is exquisite.

    And your photos are superb as they show these beauties in places which are, in themselves, gorgeous!

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  33. I have never seen cosmos growing in the wild. In Russia and in Canada, they only grow on someone's yard. For me, this post has a particular significance, because cosmos grew in large amounts around my kindergarten, and I love them :)

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  34. Hi Yoko,

    Thank you so much for stopping by. I love using candles and we can do so only in the cooler months. Diwali falls on the 26th of this month and we usually celebrate for two days. Every year it's in the Oct/November period and it comes after Durga Puja, another major festival.

    Enjoy your break! I miss your posts.

    Kanak

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  35. Preciosas fotografias, muy exquisitas.

    Saludos.

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  36. Great blog!
    Cheers from Argentina.
    HD

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  37. Hi, your posts are extremely beautiful! I'm loving them all. Those flowers get me so excited that I started wishing to live in such a wonderful place. I love nature and I love to see it beautiful, unharmed by technology and human beings. I love these flowers in particular. I get to see a few of them in my area.

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  38. Hi Yokoさん,
    Lovely pics!!!
    Was looking for the names of these beautiful wild flowers and came to your blog!
    Every time I saw these flowers on the train ride in Japan 2 weeks ago (今度は、五回目日本へ行った!), I couldn't resist but kept snapping photos of them.
    However, none of the photos look as nice as yours here!

    ありがどうございます!

    thank you from シンガポール.

    KY

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    Replies
    1. Nice to meet you, EEE Gardeners! Thanks for your visit and a comment. I tried to visit you but you don’t open your profile. Thank you for coming to Japan as many as 5 times.

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  39. just divinely beautiful village and flowers !

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