Shirane-aoi(glaucidium palmatum; Japanese wood poppy)

I went to see Shirane-aoi (glaucidium palmatum; Japanese wood poppy) at Mt.Hakken which is located near Lake Nozori in Gunma prefecture. Shirane-aoi is native to Japan. Recently this plant has been in sharp decline in Gunma prefecture. However,a lot of local people started to protect this plant. They had a number of initiatives designed to preserve the species, including seed collection, seedling cultivation, planting, installation of protective fences, mountain cleaning. There are about 80,000 clumps of Shirane-aoi now.