Little Reds

Wildflowers at Maioka Park

Reynald Ventura   - 1 min read

Little reds,
why do you always bloom
when the cicadas are singing?

In Japan, these flowers are called hekusokazura (ヘクソカズラ); the scientific name is Paederia foetida . But I call them little reds or little bells. In the 19.5 hectare Maioka Park in Totsuka, these wilflowers abound.

In my little garden, they grow in abundance too; they ramble over my solitary cherry tree. They seeded themselves all around the house; I didn’t grow them but I let them climb over the fence and trees just for the sheer beauty of their tiny flowers. And they only bloom when the cicadas sing for them.

Reynald Ventura

Reynald Ventura @reynald.ventura

I have a little garden: slightly bigger than the forehead of a cat. I grow herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, and mint, and lemon grass, and lavender, and basil. Occasionally, I cook for myself. Sometimes, my Japanese wife and my daughter like my cooking. I come from the Philippines – ...