As the deep greens of summer slowly shed their heat and the air grows dry and clear, the
forest of Koajiro begins, unhurried, to change its garments. The landscapes of the
watershed — stretching from the headwaters through the wetlands and on to the sea — shift quietly in color as the seasons turn.
When autumn foliage comes to mind, many will picture the maples of some deep mountain gorge. Yet the palette of this forest, nestled close to the sea, carries a different character altogether. Here, it is the Hazenoki — a relative of the lacquer tree — that announces the season's arrival. Its leaves turn earlier than those of any other tree, burning into a deep, fierce crimson. Each leaf is divided into many small leaflets, and the redness steals in gradually from their tips — as though a painter were layering brushstrokes with patient, unhurried care.
No telling of autumn in this forest would be complete without a second tree: the hackberry. As the season deepens, the countless leaves that enfold the great hackberry trunks transform into a clear, luminous yellow. The hackberry is also a tree that sustains a wealth of life — its small, sweet fruits nourishing many birds and insects. Its fresh leaves serve as food for the caterpillars of butterflies such as the
Sagaritis butterfly, and the adult Yamato jewel beetle feeds upon it as well. The hackberry's autumn coloring, then, is a kind of closing bow — a quiet farewell at the end of a year spent generously tending to countless lives.
Season: Autumn
Featured species: Hazenoki (a lacquer-tree relative, fierce crimson) and hackberry (clear yellow)
Role of the hackberry: Its sweet fruits sustain birds and insects; it serves as a host tree for the
Sagaritis butterfly and the Yamato jewel beetle
Caution: Lacquer-tree species contain compounds that can cause skin irritation — do not touch
Context: Autumn colors unique to a warm coastal forest / scenery of the
watershed
Location: Koajiro, Misaki-cho, 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
