Friday, July 06, 2007

Stalking The Wild Itadori

Tomorrow I am lucky enough to be playing guide to Koichi Watanabe, a photographer from Japan, who has come to Massachusetts to see Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica, Polygonum cuspidatum, Reynoutria japonica, etc. etc.). Of course, Japanese knotweed is from Japan, so why come here? Koichi has been traveling all over the world to photograph this invasive plant in a variety of locations and habitats. I'll be taking him on the grand tour, including stops at UMass Boston (where the knotweed grows in pots! :-)), Franklin Park (where the Franklin Park Coalition will be our guides), and sites in Metrowest Massachusetts where giant knotweed (Fallopia sachalinensis) and hybrid knotweed (Fallopia x bohemica) grow. While Koichi is honing his craft, I'll be collecting photos for the Life on the Japanese Knotweed project. Hopefully, when we get back, I'll also have photos of some giant beasties munching on knotweed...stay tuned! (Hint)

If you'd like to see some of Koichi's work, check out his his website, which includes an explanation of his search for "itadori."

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