Higanbana are in bloom around the edges of rice paddies in Kyoto, a little later than usual

https://preview.redd.it/so4lnmnuiasd1.jpg?width=1792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4317d64c6471434ce410f9582ad8cdf80931492e

Higanbana, called Spider Lilies or Hurricane Lilies, can usually be found blooming around the autumnal equinox at the perimeter of rice paddies. They are planted there because their bulbs are poisonous, so they help keep out mice, and also moles which can burrow under the water barriers around paddies and cause the ditches to drain the fields.

https://preview.redd.it/g94tsue8iasd1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=269886acb178ac223b1b5592277be6d1204087e8

DO NOT cut and bring any higanbana into your home. Not only are they poisonous, but they bloom around o-higan, so they are associated with death and grave visiting. Furthermore, folk wisdom suggests that if you bring them inside, your are inviting fire into your house.

I still haven't caught a whiff of kimokusei yet, either. the extremely sweet smelling flowers usually bloom in late September.

https://preview.redd.it/vwbrij1iiasd1.jpg?width=1792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d93130b323ee72ca897bef95e1d3c71cd71e2d0c

by KyotoGaijin

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