Mitsumata blossoms Apr 13, 2022

Mitsumata blossoms

Stress seems to melt away when you gaze at this serene forest protecting the mitsumata blossoms below. While the flowering buds are beautiful in their natural state, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia chrysantha) has so much more to offer. Originally brought from China to Japan by monks, the green plant is now a staple of Japanese papermaking and one of three principal ingredients in washi, traditional Japanese paper. No wonder, then, that it"s also known as the Oriental paperbush. Mitsumata washi is dense and holds ink well—it"s a favorite of artists and calligraphers—and sheets of mitsumata paper are also used in traditional shoji screens.

© nattya3714/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Apr 13, 2018Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
Apr 13, 2019Feelin groovy on Record Store Day
Apr 13, 2020Floating temples in the Land of Smiles
Apr 13, 2021Ruins of a royal temple
Apr 13, 2023Hitsujiyama Park, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Apr 13, 2024Apple trees in spring, Germany
Apr 13, 2025Songkran—Thai New Year

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 9, 2023Moselle River loop near Kröv, Germany
Apr 29, 2018National Park Week: Olympic National Park, Washington
Jan 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta
Oct 23, 2023Corn maze in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania
Nov 11, 2021Veterans Day
Jan 25, 2024Ruins of St. Dwynwens Church, Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales
Aug 9, 2019In the Supertree Grove
Aug 1, 2021Welcome to Scotland s garden
Dec 23, 2021Festivus
Feb 26, 2022Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Nov 7, 2018A triumph of light
Jun 27, 2020Looking for peace on the precipice
Jul 28, 2025World Nature Conservation Day
Mar 1, 2020Casting a vote for women s history
Oct 19, 2023Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
Jul 21, 2023Storseisundet Bridge, Norway
Jun 9, 2018Yarn bombing in the village of Gurnard, England
Jun 22, 2019Reflections on the mighty Amazon
Jan 19, 2023Sundance Film Festival opens in Park City
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Aug 20, 2019Lakeside serenity in Finland
May 12, 2021A visit to Limerick on Limerick Day
Feb 17, 2025Presidents Day
Jul 22, 2022Our Lady of the Rocks
Feb 21, 2021Overlooking the Douro
Nov 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
Feb 24, 2022Glacier cave in Iceland
Sep 3, 2025Annivesary of the Wilderness Act of 1964
Aug 8, 2023Infinity Day
Apr 1, 2018Happy Easter from the ‘peeps’ at Bing