Fauna and Flora
Mt. Tsukuba is blessed with an abundance of nature which covers the entire mountain. At lower elevations of the mountain are trees such as live oak (赤樫), mountain cherry (山桜), Japanese cedar (杉), Japanese red pine (赤松) and Hinoki cypress (檜). Higher in elevation, one can find species such as beech (ぶな), Japanese mountain maple (山紅葉) and a variety of conifers. Below these giants of the forest, the mountain is also home to hydrangea (紫陽花), rhododendron (つつじ), hosta, bush clover (ヤマハギ), 5-leaf Akebia (アケビ), fern, gold-banded lily (ヤマユリ) and the dog-tooth violet (片栗), to name a few. Amongst these exist a myriad of insects, including hairy caterpillars (毛虫), centipede, giant hornets (スズメバチ), stick insects, praying mantis (カマキリ), cicada (セミ), a number of amphibians and over 70 species of butterfly (蝶). Larger animals such as the Japanese Hare, Mamushi pit viper (蝮), Sika Deer (鹿), Japanese boar (猪), raccoon (洗熊), Eurasian badger (穴熊) and the Japanese red fox (狐) can be occasionally spotted. In addition, over 700 bird species are known to Mt. Tsukuba, these include the Japanese robin (駒鳥), Japanese Pheasant, Japanese White-eye (目白), Japanese Grosbeak, Cinnamon Sparrow (すずめ), Japanese Quail and the Japanese Green Woodpecker.
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Famous quotes containing the words fauna and/or flora:
“The whole fauna of human fantasies, their marine vegetation, drifts and luxuriates in the dimly lit zones of human activity, as though plaiting thick tresses of darkness. Here, too, appear the lighthouses of the mind, with their outward resemblance to less pure symbols. The gateway to mystery swings open at the touch of human weakness and we have entered the realms of darkness. One false step, one slurred syllable together reveal a man’s thoughts.”
—Louis Aragon (1897–1982)
“A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)