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| Image 1: Pink Lotus Flower |
Sometimes in winter, after Christmas is past, I start to miss the colors of summer. I love the change of four seasons in Wisconsin, and winter snow is beautiful, but climate change in Wisconsin has evaporated the snow this year, leaving a subdued palette of grays, browns, charcoals and blues. After weeks and months of bare trees and bare ground, white (or gray) snow, and blue or gray sky, I start to long for the colors of spring and summer.
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| Image 2: Pink Lotus Flowers |
So today I am sharing summer colors in the form of some spectacular lotus plants I saw in a garden pool at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, USA this summer.
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| Image 3: White and Deep Pink Lotus Flowers and Pods |
I know very little about lotus plants, (wiki informs me they are Asian water plants). I have only seen lotus flowers in botanic gardens, and that very rarely. I find lotus flowers exotic, although they are in some ways close to water lilies, which are common in parts of the Midwest USA. Lotus pods look frankly alien. Since I almost never see lotus flowers blooming, I stopped and studied (photographed!) these lotus plants when I saw them.
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| Image 4: Deep Pink Lotus Flowers |
Biltmore seemed to have three different flowering colors (types?) of the lotus plant: white, light pink, and the deep pink shown above and below. The centers of the lotus plants (the future seed pods) are strange as well, although I wasn't close enough to get better photos.
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| Image 5: Deep Pink Lotus Flower by Jeanne Selep |
I researched the flowers a bit, how the pods form, but instead I'd rather just admire their form (pun!).
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| Image 6: White and Pink Lotus Flowers and Pods |
The photo below has a reflection of the flowers. The best angle to get the strong reflection wasn't the best for composition, but I include it here anyway. Lotus plants frequently grow above the water, where water lilies frequently bloom at the water level.
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| Image 7: Lotus plants and flowers with reflection |
Biltmore has many other things to do, otherwise I would possibly have spent more time by this pool. But I visited these lotus plants on two different days, and the lighting was different each time.
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| Image 8: Pink Lotus Flower by Jeanne Selep |
Here is some info from research, and there are some relevant links below. The plants are Nelumbo Nucifera, and the "obconical" center is the future seed pod. Enjoy!
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| Image 9: Pink Lotus Flower |
"The hardest thing to see
is what is in front of your eyes." - Goethe
Have a great Day! Stay Warm and think of summer colors!
Click on the images to see them enlarged.
Research readings:
Wiki Lotus Nelumbo Nucifera
Fun facts + meanings
Possibly invasive?
Growing lotus plants
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