A day trip out to Mackay Island Wildlife Refuge the other day yielded some beautiful photo ops! The first came as we were approaching the refuge - I could have stopped right there and my day would have been complete.
From Wikipedia: Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including
Indian Lotus,
Sacred Lotus,
Bean of India, or simply
Lotus, is a plant in the
monotypicfamily Nelumbonaceae. This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern
China.
[1]
A common misconception is referring to the lotus as a waterlily (
Nymphaea), an entirely different plant as can be seen from the center of the flower, which clearly lacks the structure that goes on to form the distinctive circular seed pod in the
Nelumbo nucifera.
I loved the little centers - they looked like watering cans! This was a most beautiful plant!
Linking to
Floral Friday Fotos,
SOOC and
Your Sunday Best.
