The Season When Wildflowers Bloom

 “野花盛开的季节” (yě huā shèng kāi de jì jié)

I took a spontaneous trip to Hokkaido this June, and it opened my eyes to a whole new understanding of a Chinese phrase that always caught me off guard: “野花盛开的季节” (yě huā shèng kāi de jì jié).

I’ve been to Hokkaido a few times—twice in winter and once in autumn. Each time, as my plane descended, all I saw was the snow-covered white fields in winter and the golden-red fields in autumn. But this time, it was the green scenery that welcomed me to this far-eastern part of the world.

At first glance, it just means “the season when wildflowers are in full bloom.” It instantly paints a picture—of hillsides suddenly covered in colour, of delicate petals pushing through cracks in the pavement, of nature doing its thing without asking for permission. It’s a reminder that beauty can be wild, spontaneous and abundant.

But like many poetic phrases, its meaning goes deeper than just the landscape.

Emotionally, “野花盛开的季节” can describe a time after tough times. Wildflowers often grow in neglected places—roadsides, ruins, abandoned fields. Emotionally, this season represents a time when, after a long winter of grief, burnout or heartbreak, unexpected joy starts to sprout. You stop waiting for something grand and start noticing small, wild moments of happiness. You don’t need a perfectly cultivated garden; you learn to find beauty in the unplanned and the resilient parts of yourself.

I often think of this phrase when I’m learning something new and things are a bit messy. When you pick up a language, an instrument or a craft, there’s a long initial period of strict rules—the “gardening” phase, full of textbooks and rules.

Then, gradually, you step into the wildflower season of that skill. Ideas start to come to you on their own. You might crack a joke in a foreign language without even thinking about translating it in your head. Your fingers might find a melody you weren’t taught. This is when knowledge becomes a living, untamed meadow in your mind, not something you have to carefully cultivate. The growth feels wild, effortless and full of vibrant chaos.

We spend so much of our modern lives tending to our lawns—curating our careers, filtering our photos and sticking to the paths we’ve already made. But maybe we should be looking out for our own wildflower seasons.

Where in your life are things blooming right now, not because you planned them perfectly, but simply because the right conditions have finally come together?

That wild, effortless burst of growth?

That’s it. That’s the season you’ve been waiting for.

Keep an eye out. 

The wildflowers don’t wait for an invitation.

They just bloom😊.

秋诗篇篇

 還記得以前背著白背包，邁著輕快的步伐，天真無邪地不知道天涯海角，也不知道離愁別緒是什麼滋味.

那時候的我就像浮雲一樣，到處遊蕩，行囊里裝滿了對家鄉的思念。雖然努力的向前走，但鄉愁就像影子一樣，連在夢里也揮之不去。

青春歲月里，我聽過很多關於秋天的歌，那些歌陪伴著我度過了那段懵懂無知的時光。

可惜，我來自熱帶，只能聽歌，卻無法真正體會那冷冷的秋，那足以讓人心情低落、悲傷的季節。

想起當時那顆小小的、充滿希望的心，希望有一天能親身體驗那些描寫秋天的詩句。

我想聽聽秋風如何把春水吹涼，看一看綠葉如何被染成金黃。

誰說秋天就一定愁眉苦臉呢？

煙波林野，也自有它的幽靜之美。

花落紅，花落紅，楓葉紅了，楓葉紅了，總歸是秋天到了。春天走了，夏天也走了，秋天來了，秋意濃濃。

Fall. In love.

 Part 1: Colors

“Fall in love with the colors—golden leaves and the quiet poetry of change.”

Part 2: Stillness

“Fall in love with the stillness—crisp air, soft light, and the pause between seasons.”

Part 3: The Wild

“Fall in love with the wild—deer in the dusk, birds on the wing, nature’s restless heart.”

Part 4: Yourself

“Fall in love with yourself—wrapped in warmth, walking through change, finding beauty in every step.”

Birding in Hokkaido

Before my trip to Hokkaido, I have no idea what to expect or how different are there in terms of birding in the totally different environment that I so used to in the hot & humid tropical. Beside the warm clothing which is most important one. My personal opinion, a good pair of gloves is equally important. Our fingers have a higher surface to volume ratio, as such they lose heat much faster than other part of our body. I brought 2 pairs of gloves with me for my last Hokkaido winter trip. One is the usual well insulated gloves similar to ski gloves and another just a fleece gloves that give good insulation yet retain flexibility to click on the shutter. I basically change my right hand gloves between shooting and when looking for birds.

As with birding at any part of the world, joy of birding is to be able to spot them in their natural habitat. The easiest part is to spot the clue they left behind such as their dropping or to know where they will look for food. A fruiting tree is always a good place to start or wait.

I am so happy to see a fruiting tree and true enough, I don't have to wait for long. The first bird that appear is this Brown-eared Bulbul. They come in waves.

Japanese waxwing come in the next wave.

Dusky thrush made the appearance too.

The next clue is to follow their calls. Just follow where the noise came from.

I also pay attention to movement. This is particular useful for this Red squirrel.

Knowing your target bird feeding behavior helps you to spot them easier at the usual feeding spot.

All the photos above have one thing in common, they are all feeding. I find their food source and wait for them to appear.

Alternatively, there are feeding station during winter where food source are scarce. You may visit these sanctuary.

Tsurui-Ito Sanctuary is one such place that you might not want to miss.

Red Crowned Crane Watching in Hokkaido

Those who wants to watch and take photo of Red Crowned Crane, Hokkaido is the place to visit especially during winter. Most people will visit Otowa Bridge in the pre-dawn hour as this is the known roosting place for Red crowned cranes. 

The next best place to visit is Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary where food source are secured and supplied by the sanctuary. Here, you may watch them up close and can be less than a meter or two at times. The photo above are taken at the sanctuary.

Since this is my 2nd trip there, I go other options. Trying to watch them out of these 2 popular spot.

I estimate the flight path of the cranes from Otowa bridge and just wait for them at the road side. True enough, I get what I wish for. A crane with the mountain as background. I purposely choose this photo with the cable line to show that this photo is indeed taken at the roadside.

You can also choose to include some tree instead of just plain blue sky.

I also spotted one and use the tree as the window for framing.

If you are lucky enough, you can even have a shot of the cranes having some intimate time of their own. So, just don't stick to those 2 popular spot, move around and you may find something different that may interest you.

Land of the Fox

My recent trip to Hokkaido during winter saw more foxes than I expected. I seen more Hokkaido Red Fox known as the Ezo Red Fox than I did 3 years ago.

This individual was spotted next to Otowo Bridge while I was there watching Red Crowned Crane.

This one was spotted on my way to Tsurui-Ito Tancho Sanctuary from Otowa Bridge.

Another one that run away before I could get a clear shot.

This one was found in Rausu on top of the tunnel.

This one also spotted in Rausu at night scavenging for food near the ryokan that I stayed.

This one was spotted at Notsuke peninsula trying to hunt for rodents under the snow.

The same individual after the failed hunt of rodents.

Also spotted at Notsuke peninsula, this one with left eye having a bad infection.

Also saw at Notsuke peninsula. It appeared that it is easier to spot a red fox here than other part of Hokkaido during winter. So, if you are looking to watch and photograph Ezo Red Fox, Notsuke Peninsula is the place you don't want to miss.