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Fuji-Hakone-Izu NP, Kanagawa
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Volunteers found 2 budding Tsuchiakebi orchids here in June 2025. This leafless orchid gets its food from fungi; birds eat its red berries and spread the seeds—a seed-dispersal partnership first documented in orchids.
At this pond, early spring can bring a food-chain twist: a Ministry of the Environment ranger saw Japanese brown frog tadpoles eating Japanese common-toad eggs in 2020. The brown frogs had spawned in chilly February.
Japan-endemic forest green tree frogs also breed here, suspending foamy egg masses from branches above water. Researchers recorded 8 clutches below the bird hide in 2016; local volunteers found many more around the pond in 2026.
Summer may bring Japanese leaf-warblers, narcissus flycatchers and blue-and-white flycatchers; winter brings red-flanked bluetails and bullfinches. Bare winter branches also make small birds easier to spot.
This 2.3-hectare forest is deliberately set up as habitat: fruiting trees such as yamaboushi and a pond draw birds, while a log-style hide lets people watch through wall openings. Its loop is just 550 meters.
In April 2024, volunteers found Jirobōengosaku blooming in clusters in the forest. Its pale-pink flowers distinguish it from similar purple corydalis; this spring ephemeral then disappears above ground until the next year.
