While out in the field harvesting turnips the other day, Arley and I heard haunting squawks and the fluttering of wings. We looked up to see a pair of Green Pheasants flying overhead. These are large birds that are surprisingly good at staying hidden, so we were delighted to get a glimpse of their technicolor and speckled bodies soaring through the air.
Names: Green Pheasant | Phasianus versicolor | キジ (kiji)
Size: Females are approximately 58cm in length, while males are larger at around 81.5cm.
Diet: They feast on seeds, fruit, roots, leaves, arthropods, and worms.
Range: Green Pheasants are endemic to Japan (meaning that they’re native to Japan only). They have, however, been released as "game birds" in some other countries including the US and parts of Europe.
Habitat: They can be found in forest edges, open woodlands, grasslands, and human-modified habitats that have sufficient vegetation for cover. While this bird is not considered to be endangered, modern industrialized farming practices (which often result in monocropping, loss of hedgerow and wetland, and overgrazing) has led to a steady loss of habitats suitable for them.
Random tidbit: Japan declared them as its national bird in 1947, but they are also listed as game birds that are allowed to be hunted.
Speaking of farming, our 3-month internship at the local organic vegetable farm has come to an end. It was brief but rewarding, and we were grateful to experience planting, growing, harvesting, and packaging many kinds of autumn and winter veggies including kale, various turnips, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, carrots, arugula, wasabina, cabbage, hakusai, garlic, various daikon, and onions—just a fraction of what they were growing while we were there!
This past summer I wrote about aesthetically imperfect food—here are a few photos of my favorite veggies we encountered:
Because of our time at the farm, I have a better sense of the sweat it takes to grow food, the wonders of collaborating with seeds and soil, and the satisfaction of being nourished by the food my own hands harvested. While we don’t plan to become full-time farmers, we hope to continue growing what we can, wherever we can, in 2024. For now, that looks like an herb garden on our tiny 5th floor balcony. :) I’m also dreaming about ways to continue exploring the intersection of plants, art, and the more-than-human-world in my creative practice this next year and am looking forward to sharing more as the seeds of projects grow roots.
What seeds will you plant this next year?
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