Butterflies and Dragonflies in Dazzling Flight

In May, the coastal wetlands of Koajiro are blanketed in the gentle pink blossoms of beach radish. Drawn to these drifting clusters of flowers come the great butterflies of spring — the Spicebush Swallowtail and the Blue Triangle, sweeping gracefully among the blooms. When the beach radish flowers fade, late June brings a new fragrance drifting through Koajiro — the sweet, white blossoms of the clerodendrum. It is the beginning of early summer, when various large swallowtails — the Asian Swallowtail, the Black Swallowtail, and the White-spotted Swallowtail — perform breathtaking flights in pursuit of the flowers' nectar. In this same season, the wetlands of Koajiro come alive with dragonflies of all kinds — the Common Skimmer, the Clubtail, and the Damselfly, among others. And high in the canopy of the hackberry trees, where vivid new green leaves unfurl in the light, one may sometimes catch a glint of living jewels — the iridescent flight of the Yamato Jewel Beetle, shimmering like a gem among the branches. Season: May through early summer Butterflies: Spicebush Swallowtail, Blue Triangle, Asian Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, White-spotted Swallowtail (attracted to beach radish and clerodendrum blossoms) Dragonflies: Common Skimmer, Clubtail, Damselfly Other: Yamato Jewel Beetle, shimmering in the canopy of the hackberry trees Location: Coastal wetlands of Koajiro Address: Koajiro, Misaki-machi, Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture Map: Koajiro Forest Map Official Site: Koajiro Forest (Kanagawa Prefecture) Supervising editor: Yuji Kishi (Professor Emeritus, Keio University) Photography: Hiroichi Yanase (Professor, Institute of Science Tokyo) Producer: Eisuke Tachikawa (Representative of NOSIGNER / Project Professor, Keio University) Published by: NOSIGNER / NPO Koajiro Outdoor Activity Coordination Council