Little reds,
why do you always bloom
when the cicadas are singing?

In Japan, these flowers are called hekusokazura (ヘクソカズラ); the scientific name is Paederia foetida . But I call them little reds or little bells. In the 19.5 hectare Maioka Park in Totsuka, these wilflowers abound.

In my little garden, they grow in abundance too; they ramble over my solitary cherry tree. They seeded themselves all around the house; I didn’t grow them but I let them climb over the fence and trees just for the sheer beauty of their tiny flowers. And they only bloom when the cicadas sing for them.