Preservation Activities at Hamura R&D Center
For two years in 2020 and 2021, Casio’s activities to preserve rare species on its grounds were restricted in line with restrictions on movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, beginning in 2022, while giving consideration to infection risk, it was again possible to carry out artificial pollination and bagging aimed at propagating the Golden Orchid and Silver Orchid on the grounds of the Hamura R&D Center of Casio Computer Co., Ltd. In 2023, the Hamura R&D Center also carried out artificial pollination and bagging, and two new Golden Orchids and one new Silver Orchid were discovered at different locations on its grounds at around the same time.
In addition, as a result of several years of observation, it has been empirically found that since plants such as Golden Orchid germinate in February before other plants, they are prone to damage by pill bugs. Once the growing point is damaged, the plant does not seem to grow above ground for the rest of the season. In addition, some plants have been damaged for two consecutive years, and the above-ground parts subsequently disappeared (the causal relationship is unknown). For this reason, when the germination season approaches, the center removes fallen leaves from the ground and also uses adhesive sheets for gardening purposes to prevent damage from pill bugs.
These conservation activities on the grounds are carried out every year by the Hamura TC Protection Team, a group of employee volunteers, based on the seasonal changes and growth conditions, as outlined below.
|
Golden Orchids and Silver Orchids, etc. |
Japanese sparrowhawks |
|---|---|---|
January |
Seed storage |
|
February |
Before germination: Start of observation, removal of fallen leaves, etc. |
|
March |
Protection for damage from pill bugs, etc. |
|
April |
Sowing of seeds from previous year |
|
May |
Observation of ovary enlargement, vigilance |
Start of observation of sparrowhawks nesting, information sharing internally Request for monitoring within the office |
June |
Observation of ovary enlargement, vigilance |
Continuous observation, information sharing internally |
July |
Observation of ovary enlargement, vigilance |
Continuous observation, information sharing internally |
August |
Observation of ovary enlargement, vigilance |
Leaving the nest / information sharing internally |
September |
Observation of ovary enlargement, vigilance |
|
October |
Observation of ovary enlargement, vigilance |
|
November |
Seed collection, seed storage, information sharing internally |
|
December |
Seed storage |
|
Golden Orchids found at the Hamura R&D Center on April 21,2023
At the Hamura R&D Center, reconstruction of the building is scheduled for the near future due to its aging. Therefore, in preparation for the eventuality that transplantation becomes necessary, the center referred to academic literature and planted young trees (Quercus serrata, Lithocarpus edulis) from species that can form a symbiotic relationship with the Golden Orchid, so that this orchid and these trees can be transplanted together. In addition, the Hamura TC Protection Team is making new improvements and refinements every year to avoid the effects of the orchid fly during the flowering season. At the end of the flowering season, artificial pollination is carried out to obtain seeds, and in 2024, the team began attempts to sow seeds using the “seed stick method,” with reference to academic literature.
Ovary and seeds of the Golden Orchid
Enlarged photo of the seeds of the Golden Orchid
At the Hamura R&D Center, in 2022 Japanese sparrowhawks, a bird of prey that is an endangered species, nested in a zelkova tree on the premises. The sparrowhawks had previously been observed nesting in Musashino Park to the west of the center, but it seems that the birds decided that the environment on the premises was more suitable for raising young, and changed their nesting location.
The following year, in 2023, Japanese sparrowhawks nested in the same zelkova tree on the premises, and their chicks hatched there for a second year. Furthermore, in 2024, the year after that, it was confirmed that the birds had nested and that the chicks had fledged in another zelkova tree on the premises. According to observations by the Hamura TC Protection Team, in 2024, after the chicks had fledged, it was confirmed that the same parent birds had nested a second time in the same nest.
Location of the Japanese sparrowhawks’ nest
Japanese sparrowhawk chicks and their parents