Tohoku University New Campus Plan

HOME ＞ Environmental-Harmony-Campus ＞ Nature of Aobayama

Aobayama New Campus Plan

Nature of Aobayama

The Aobayama is a rare place located from the central Sendai to the west in the distance of several kilos, and with its rich nature.
In the history, The Aobayama formed the natural stronghold with the Tatsunokuchi ravine as Ourayama (forest where trees grow thick) in the Sendai Castle in Edo period and Masamune Date seems to have used such given natural geographical features when he built the castle.
The Ourayama is Tohoku University Botanical Gardens now, the natural monument designated by the National Government to extend natural forest of the fir. And, the Konara woods and Japanese red pine have extended, too. The ecosystem with abundant nature is maintained as a lot of forest birds live in the Aobayama region.
Part of plants and animals to live in the Aobayama region is introduced here.

Plants

●Yuushunran (Ran family)

　This is a small perennial. The stem stands upright, and height becomes about 20-40cm. This is a variety into which the leaf of Ginran degenerates, and the stem and leaf is none or squama. Moreover, there is a feature such as seeing the space between petals, too. This is distributed over Kyushu from Hokkaido, but is slightly rare.

Animals

●Ootaka (washitaka famiky)

　The total length is about 60cm, the back is an ash black, the white feather has mixed with back of the head, and spots like a long eyebrow are in the face. The character is brave, quick, power to fly is strong. So he was used for hunting for a long time. The breeding season is May-June, and the aerie is chiefly built in a big tree such as the pines. This is specified for domestic scarce, wild flora and fauna in " Law for the Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ", and capture is prohibited. This inhabits a mountain of Honshu and Shikoku, and the forest of the foot of a mountain district.