Weekend Reflections & TODAY'S FLOWERS - Amazonian Waterlily

Victoria amazonica had a hothouse all to herself at the Adelaide

Botanical Gardens. The sign read that she would start opening at

5 p.m. but she had barely managed to split her sepals at that time.

Unfortunately the superstructure of the hothouse reflects rather

dramatically in the lily pond, making it challenging to get just the

lily and it's pads without posts and girders.

The first petal is open and the bud is stretching allowing her

heady perfume to waft through the humid air.

Every part of the plant that has contact with the water is

protected by spines, the leaves, so smooth on the upper side,

are prickly everywhere else, as are the bud and stalks as well

as the eventual seed casing.

Gracefully she floats . . .

slowly, eve so slowly, flicking another petal from the central

bud . . .

and just when the unfurling drama is reaching it's height, the

keeper of the lily house evicts us . . . we beg to be locked in for

the night, to document the wonder of this flower but to no avail.

We are banished like common criminals although the gardens

are open for another hour. Disappointed, we slink away under

giant plane trees and along hidden paths, back to our car to face

the now thinning peak traffic home.

Enjoy the flower and her narcissistic reflections and visit many

more by clicking on either or both relevant Logos on my side bar.