Balkan Ecology Project

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Balkan Ecology Project Serving the Kingdom Plantae The Balkan Ecology Project is a permaculture-inspired, grassroots family run project based in Eastern Europe - Bulgaria.

We're exploring farming and market gardening and looking for models that can provide reliable income growing a diversity of affordable foods and other products whilst enhancing biodiversity

Street plants around Tokyo.
26/09/2026

Street plants around Tokyo.

25/09/2026

Japanese pond turtle - Mauremys japonica (I think ) a native species endemic to Japan in the ponds of Yasuda Garden - Tokyo. This moderately sized freshwater turtle prefers rivers, lakes, ponds, and rice paddies. A notable feature is sexual dimorphism: females grow significantly larger than males, reaching carapace lengths of about 21 cm compared to the male's roughly 15 cm. While the species is classified as near threatened due to habitat loss and competition with invasive turtles, it remains a charming resident of the garden's aquatic environment.

Not sure if they bite but this one was getting very close to my fingers 🙂

24/09/2026

Loving the Japanese gardens and have visted many around the world but the real thing (as with Japanese food) is entirely another level. Dappled, shifting light on maple leaves is a recurring feature and works physically due to Japanese maple leaves being thin and translucent, so when light bounces off a pond or stream and strikes them, it passes through the tissue rather than reflecting off the surface—making the leaves glow and shimmer as the water moves. Horticulturally, this mirrors the tree's native understory habitat, where it evolved to catch dappled, indirect light.

Aesthetically, the effect embodies utsuroi—the beauty of transience. The reflection is never static; a breeze, a koi, or a single water drop rewrites the pattern instantly, turning the maple into a screen for ephemeral calligraphy. Culturally, water-light on maple leaves evokes mono no aware, the pathos of passing time: the water moves, the light shifts, the leaf will fall.

Spent the afternoon in Shinjuku Gyoen a wonderful verdant refuge within Tokyo, where veteran trees form the structural b...
23/09/2026

Spent the afternoon in Shinjuku Gyoen a wonderful verdant refuge within Tokyo, where veteran trees form the structural backbone of its historic landscapes. The garden's approximately 10,000 trees include significant living legacies such as centuries-old London planes with trunks exceeding six meters and original tulip trees planted in the late 1800s . Among the roughly 1,000 cherry trees, world famous for their Spring blossoms, many are veteran specimens, including 'Somei-Yoshino' individuals registered as giant trees that have surpassed the typical lifespan expected for the cultivar.

These photos are mostly from the Japanese Garden section.

The Jungle Crow - Corvus macrorhynchos is Tokyo's dominant corvid and a highly intelligent opportunistic omnivore. It se...
23/09/2026

The Jungle Crow - Corvus macrorhynchos is Tokyo's dominant corvid and a highly intelligent opportunistic omnivore. It serves as an urban scavenger, consuming food waste, insects, and carrion, though its population boom in the 1980s–90s made it a notorious pest until waste management measures reduced its numbers.

22/09/2026

A magnificent specimen of Ginkgo biloba in Shinjuku Gyoen. The park is home to several large ginkgo trees dating back to the Edo period (over 300 years old). They were originally planted as fire-prevention trees.

Beyond their beauty, ginkgo trees are also valued for their edible seeds. The fleshy seed coats contain ginkgotoxin and can cause skin irritation, so the inner kernels must be thoroughly cooked before eating. In Japan, these seeds are known as ginnan and are a popular autumn ingredient—often roasted, added to soups, or served with sake. However, they should be eaten in moderation, as consuming too many raw or undercooked seeds can be toxic.

Ginkgo trees are dioecious, meaning individual trees are either male or female. Both are included in city planting, so fruiting females can often be found among the males—easily identified in autumn by their distinctive, somewhat pungent-smelling fallen seeds.

Serendipitously arrived in Japan on their 'Silver Week' long weekend. Monday is Respect for the Aged Day (Keirō no Hi), ...
21/09/2026

Serendipitously arrived in Japan on their 'Silver Week' long weekend. Monday is Respect for the Aged Day (Keirō no Hi), Tuesday is Citizens' Holiday (Kokumin no Kyūjitsu), and Wednesday is Autumnal Equinox Day (Shūbun no Hi). What lovely holidays!

Also arrived alongside Typhoon Dujuan ☔ not that anyone seems to mind 🙂

Looking forward to seeing this incredible city under blue skies soon.

In Tokyo for a bit. What an amazing city! I've never seen such care and attention given to street trees. The Ginkgo and ...
21/09/2026

In Tokyo for a bit. What an amazing city! 

I've never seen such care and attention given to street trees. The Ginkgo and Acer trees around Shinjuku are so perfectly shaped. 

Aparrtenlty it's all down to winter cutback pruning (December–February), when trees are dormant. The goal isn't to let them grow into their massive natural form—it's to sculpt them into a neat, conical silhouette called 円錐形 (ensuikei) in Japanese, designed to fit tight urban spaces.

Rosa spinosissima - Burnet Rose within street planting in Nuremberg Altstadt. These plants offer notable edible and medi...
17/09/2026

Rosa spinosissima - Burnet Rose within street planting in Nuremberg Altstadt. These plants offer notable edible and medicinal value. Its dark, globose hips are rich in vitamin C, carotenoids, and organic acids, and have been used to make syrups, jams, and aromatic teas .

Medicinally, the plant is traditionally used in the Caucasus for respiratory ailments and as a general tonic, though modern clinical evidence remains limited .

Ecologically, R. spinosissima is a hardy, light-demanding shrub that forms dense clonal colonies through root suckers, making it valuable for stabilizing coastal dunes and dry, base-rich soils . Its hips provide a favoured food source for birds and other animals, aiding in seed dispersal . The species tolerates cold, drought, and poor soils, though it is threatened by habitat loss and displacement by invasive species like Rosa rugosa in some coastal areas .

A few more photos from Frankfurt
17/09/2026

A few more photos from Frankfurt

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Shipka

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