The autumnal equinox was one week ago, but one thing was missing. Red spider lilies, known in Japanese as “higanbana,” were not in bloom yet. I looked around and didn’t see any until Saturday. They grow along the side of the environmental center where I work. I was walking around the center on Saturday morning, and I found half of the flowers in full bloom. The other half had buds on them, but they weren’t open yet. There are reports of the flowers blooming late all over Japan. They say that the days and nights have been too hot. Now, the nights are much cooler, so the red spider lilies will probably bloom all at once. (116 words)