Monday, May 9, 2011

Peony Porn

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I am not usually a huge fan of photos of the sexual organs of flowers, but today I make an exception.

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Yesterday we visited Daikon Island in the Nakaumi, the lagoon that straddles the border of Shimane and Tottori, to see the peonies in bloom.

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They have been cultivated on the island since the Edo Period, and Daikon Island is now the largest producer of them in Japan.

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Called Botan in Japanese, they were introduced into Japan from China as a medicinal plant in the eighth century. During the buddhist proscription against eating meat "botan" was a euphemism for wild boar meat.

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Apparently they bloom all year round but the peak is around now.

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A strange woman followed me around the garden so I asked her to pose next to a bloom to give an idea of the scale.

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7 comments:

  1. je viens de découvrir ce blog ,les photos sont magnifiques!!!!!

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  2. Hi, I love your blog.
    I love your pictures.
    And, finally, I love this flower. I have a japanese peony in my garden and I think that it's the "queen of the garden".
    Look my flower here:

    http://lamiss-artistichousewife.blogspot.com/2011/04/coltivando-peonie.html

    Take care of you and many thanks for this blog! ;)

    Love
    ***Miss***

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  3. wow....nice post! I really like this. Thanks for this post

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  4. What a sharp-witted title, man!
    Amazing pics as ever but the last one really kills me softly with the 'strange' follower and the huge peony. Sheer bliss! Arigatou gozaimasu, ciao!

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  5. Great photos... it's nice to mix it up, and you've done a great job here. Now, as for attracting strange followers... not sure what your wife would think of that! Love the treatment though, looks fantastic. You've got a great eye, regardless of your material.

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  6. Nice pictures! I love the colors.

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