
The fragrant flowers of water lily are unreal! They either float on the surface of the water, or hover just above. Abundant pointed petals radiate outward from central tufts of pronounced stamens. Most flowers are soft hues of yellow, pink, blue, lavender, peachy orange or white. Some are brighter yellow or pink, or richer shades of red or purple. Some open in the morning. Others open in the evening.
The rubbery leaves that float on the surface of the water are nearly circular. Some are symmetrically cleft to the center, like Pac-Man or a pizza with a slice taken out. The thick rhizomes that the foliage and flowers emerge from stay buried in pots or mud under the ponds that they live in. Rhizomes can be divided to propagate, but take a year or so to recover and bloom.
This made me realize I need to get out in the kayak. I haven’t seen any of these this year.
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Are they naturalized?
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I think they’re native (not exactly like the ones you described) to the marsh. There are several different kinds.
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I love waterlilies. Makes me think I should head back to the Chicago Botanic Garden.
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They seem to be more popular in other regions, and native in some places. They are such an oddity here.
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