Higanbana

Autumn Equinox. Japan celebrates all of the seasonal equinoxes and so September marks the start of autumn. If you don’t have a calendar, you can be sure to know the right week because the higanbana bloom. Also called “red spider lilies” (lycoris radiate). They emerge as a single stem from the ground with a bloom on top, quickly and colorfully. I find it fascinating that one day there is nothing and then the next morning, suddenly, a burst of red. They usually grow in clusters, wild around the edges of the paddy fields but I moved some into the garden and they are popping up unexpectedly like little fireworks under the trees. I missed all the other celebrations around town for autumn because husband worked through the holidays and daughter studied. Big deal.