Wildflowers telling the arrival of spring in Japan

What's this strange purple flower?  It is called "Zazen-so".  This name came from the unique appearance that reminds us of the image of a monk sitting in meditation.

It grows in wetlands in cool temperate mountainous regions, and blooms from late January to mid-March.  It is said that its southern limit of distribution in Japan is Shiga Prefecture where I live.

Recently, I went to two natural habitats where local people have been managing this plant. The first place is at a relatively high elevation in Nagahama City, and it is famous for the area with the heaviest snowfall in Shiga prefecture. So, there is still snow left in the forest. The guide sign looks small.　There happened to be some kind of photo shoot going on, so I took my photos while avoiding that.

New green shoots were emerging from the partially melted mountain stream. It will take a while for them to flower.

The second habitat is located at a lower altitude in Maibara City. It is surrounded by a fence, but some of the flowers grow outside the fence. This place was originally the ground of the temple.

The snow has melted and the flowers have begun to bloom.

Please look at this unique visual aspect of the flowers.