季節の進みは早いもので、春の気配です。今年は冬の冷え込みが緩いため、1月20日頃からイタヤカエデの樹液が出ていました。12月にも道路沿いの街路樹のイタヤカエデが樹液を出していてツララができていたのを見たので、日中の気温がプラスになると、枝が折れたり、幹に傷があるような場所から樹液がでるようです。本格的に樹液がで始めるのは、2月に入ってからのようで、あちこちで樹液に集まるエゾリス、カラ類やヒヨドリを見かけるようになります。
The seasons are moving quickly, and it's a sign of spring. This year, since the winter has been mild, sap has been coming out from the maple trees since around January 20th. Even in December, I saw a maple tree along the road producing sap and forming icicles, so when the daytime temperature rises, branches break or the trunk gets damaged. It looks like sap is coming out of it. It seems that the sap starts to come out in earnest in February, and you can start to see Ezo squirrels, crows, and bulbuls gathering in the sap here and there.
早春から樹液を出すという樹木の能力は古い時代から培ってきたようで、まだ寒い凍る季節、樹木にとって「凍結」ということは、木が膨張して幹が割れる、枝が折れるというデメリット。だけど、できるだけ早いタイミングに枝の先まで水分を運ぶことで新芽の芽出し、木の成長に有利なのでしょう。そのためには、水分にできる限り糖分を含ませて、甘くすることで凍結から守る術を身につけたのでしょう。
The ability of trees to produce sap from early spring seems to have been cultivated since ancient times, and during the still cold freezing season, ``freezing'' has the disadvantage of causing the tree to swell, causing the trunk to crack and branches to break. However, by transporting moisture to the tips of the branches as early as possible, it may be advantageous for new buds to sprout and for tree growth. To do this, they must have learned how to protect the water from freezing by adding as much sugar as possible to the water to make it sweeter.
その代表的な木がカエデの木で、カナダで有名なメープルシロップが樹液を煮詰めたもの。北海道でもカエデの種類は多く、イタヤカエデ、ハウチワカエデが森林にも公園や街路樹にも良く見かけます。甘い樹液を出す木としては、カエデの他にもオニグルミ、コクワ、ヤマブドウも甘い樹液を出して動物たちが集まっているのを見たことがあります。
The representative tree is the maple tree, and Canada's famous maple syrup is made by boiling down the sap. There are many types of maples in Hokkaido, and the Itaya maple and Hauchiwa maple can often be seen in forests, parks, and roadside trees. In addition to maple trees, there are also trees that produce sweet sap, such as Japanese gurumi, Japanese kokuwa, and wild grapes, which I have seen attracting animals to these trees.
昔、もう20年以上前ですが、メープルシロップを作ってみようと、イタヤカエデだと思って採取した木がミズキで、４リットルほどの樹液を煮詰めて、ようやく100cc まで煮詰めて、楽しみに、味わったら、苦くて、苦くて、、、。そんな頃に、いろんな樹木を覚えた（体感）したものです。
A long time ago, more than 20 years ago, when I wanted to make maple syrup, I collected a dogwood tree that I thought was a Japanese maple tree. I boiled down about 4 liters of sap, and finally boiled it down to 100 cc. I was looking forward to it and tried it. , bitter, bitter... Around that time, I learned about (experienced) all kinds of trees.
このカエデの樹液が、昼のプラス気温と夜のマイナス気温。そして、カエデの樹液が出る場所によって奇跡的に、ツララができることがあります。このツララこそが、アイヌの話に出てきたり、昔の子供達がアイスキャンディとして、甘味のない時代に楽しんでいたと聞きます。確かに、このツララの先端が一番甘く、ツララを折って口に含むと想像した以上に甘くて、春の自然の甘さが体の中に広がります。季節も体も目覚める甘さです。
This maple sap produces positive temperatures during the day and negative temperatures at night. And miraculously, depending on where the maple sap comes out, icicles can form. I have heard that this icicle is mentioned in Ainu stories, and that children in the past enjoyed it as popsicles in the days when sweets were not available. Indeed, the tip of this icicle is the sweetest, and when you break it off and put it in your mouth, it's even sweeter than you imagined, and the natural sweetness of spring spreads throughout your body. It has a sweetness that awakens both the season and your body.
昨日、1月31日。今シーズン初のツララに出会いました。道路脇のハウチワカエデでしたが、綺麗なツララが３箇所にできていました。最初の一本を味見させていただきニヤリ。そしてこれにエナガが来てくれたらと車の中から見ていたら、ハシブトガラが飛んできて、１０分もしないで登場したのが、シマエナガでした。今年初のツララとそうそうにシマエナガの登場。甘い樹液を楽しみにしてたのでしょう。
Yesterday, January 31st. I encountered my first icicle of the season. It was a Japanese maple tree next to the road, but there were three beautiful icicles. I sampled the first one and grinned. I was watching from the car to see if a Long-tailed Tit would come, and a Long-billed Tit flew by, and within 10 minutes it was a Long-tailed Tit. This year's first icicle and, of course, the appearance of the striped long-tailed moth. They were probably looking forward to the sweet sap.
それからしばらく、シマエナガのお祭り状態。ラッキーなタイミングに居合わせて、夢中でカメラ。呼吸も止まるシーン。1月なのに、もうツララとエナガを撮ってる自分。季節の進みの早さを感じました。
After that, it was a festival of Shimaenaga. I was lucky enough to be there at the right time and was absorbed in taking pictures. A scene that makes you stop breathing. Even though it's January, I'm already taking pictures of icicles and long-tailed tits. I felt how quickly the seasons were progressing.
カエデの樹液のツララにシマエナガが集まっているのを夢中で写真を撮っていました。道路沿いのカエデの木でしたが、針葉樹林の森の中、静かな森の中には、シマエナガの鳴き声のほかにも、エゾライチョウが鳴いていました。エゾライチョウも気になりますが、目の前のシマエナガに集中。シマエナガの群れがカエデの木から去っていって、その後登場したのが、森のおばさん。エゾライチョウでした。エゾライチョウはさすがに樹液に興味はない？のでしょう。松の茂みに身を隠すようにこちらを見ていました。
I was engrossed in taking photos of the striped long-tailed moths gathering in the icicles of the maple sap. There were maple trees along the road, but in the quiet coniferous forest, in addition to the cries of the long-tailed moth, there were also the cries of the sage-grouse. I was also concerned about the sage-grouse, but I concentrated on the striped long-tailed moth in front of me. A group of striped long-tailed moths left the maple tree, and then the forest lady appeared. It was a sage-grouse. Are grouse really not interested in tree sap? Probably. It was looking at me as if hiding in the pine bushes.
しばらく、エゾライチョウと見つめ合う時間を楽しんで、体も冷えたので、山を歩くことに。鹿の現場も気になり、新しい鹿に出会えないか、3時間ほど山の中を歩いていました。１週間ほど前までは、山の斜面の陽当たりの良い場所は、イタヤカエデの樹液がよく出ていて、ヒヨドリが毎日来ていたのを見ていましたが、エナガはまだ樹液に執着していませんでしたが、前日歩いた同じルートを歩くと、エナガの群れ。しばらく様子を見ているとここにも樹液のツララができていました。
After enjoying the time spent gazing at the grouse and getting cold, I decided to walk up the mountain. I was also curious about the deer scene, so I walked through the mountains for about three hours to see if I could meet new deer. Until about a week ago, there was a lot of sap from the Japanese maple tree in a sunny spot on the mountain slope, and I saw bulbuls coming every day, but the long-tailed tit is not attached to the sap yet. However, as I walked the same route I had walked the day before, I saw a flock of long-tailed tits. When I looked at the situation for a while, I noticed that icicles of sap were forming here as well.
ここでもしばらく、シマエナガのお祭り状態。１０分ほどの短い時間ですがツララに集まるエナガ時間に夢中になりました。
For a while here, it was like a festival of Shimaenaga. Although it was a short time of about 10 minutes, I was fascinated by the long-tailed tits gathering in the icicles.
冬の終わり、春の始まり。まだまだ冬が頑張るでしょうが、光の春。どんどん春ですね。樹液の季節、どんな自然に出会えるでしょう？モモンガたちの暮らしもゆっくりと春の行動パターンに変わってきたようです。ヒゲを凍らすモモンガの姿もなごりおしいものです。
The end of winter, the beginning of spring. Winter will still be hard, but spring will be bright. It's getting more and more spring. What kind of nature can you encounter during the sap season? It seems that the life of flying squirrels is slowly changing to the spring behavior pattern.The sight of a flying squirrel freezing its beard is also a refreshing sight.
