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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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31 comments:
It's funny... you are dreaming of summer and I am dreaming of winter!!!! We've had such hot weather here and bushfires, I keep telling everyone - I can't wait till winter!!! Beautiful photos! xx
When I can go home after work in daylight, I don't mind the still cool temperatures and bleak landscape. A little bit of sunshine now and then is uplifting too. I am not very optimistic that spring has arrived yet. I give it another month. Take care! Regula
Delightful colors and the exotic seed pods are fascinating.
Thankful for these flowers.
Sue
WOW, absolutely gorgeous flower, Love the colors
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The lotus flowers are so beautiful and unusual, in a way it's hard to believe they are real! Gorgeous photos and a lovely reminder of warm summer days!
I agree with you as I am also dreaming of summer. Your photos and the flowers are all very beautiful. Thank you for leaving that thoughtful comment on my post about monarchs. That is a very good point and monarch butterflies have been raised in classrooms and in peoples homes to help spark a care in nature. I think what they’re trying to say is that those that are raised at home need to the best practices to prevent disease and that those places that raise hundreds and hundreds of them aren’t helping the population. I have also raised spicebush swallowtail butterflies.. I have four spice bush trees in my yard. The difference these butterflies is that they grow and progress to chrysalis and then over winter to emerge the next spring. So I had to store them in a place that would be consistently cold and that was my refrigerator.. when released, the spicebush would just go and mate, and lay eggs for the next year. if you ask any child the name of one butterfly that they could name, it would be a monarch butterfly, and there is nothing like looking at kids who are watching a butterfly emerge, and then fly away….Michelle
I dream of summer this time of year, too. I really miss color! These photos were just the trick. Gorgeous! Visiting from Senior Salon Pit Stop.
I like the warmer days where we can get out and enjoy nature, tending to the flowers and simply looking at the clouds. It is those hot days that I could do without, but you know take the good with the best.
come see what we shared at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
Beautiful floral captures!
Lotus flowers - for that matter, water lilies in general - seem evidence of perfection. Gorgeous colors and symmetry.
Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2024/02/le-musee-dart-sacre.html
I love most flowers and am drawn to photos of lotus. They are so lush and exotic. Lovely photos.
Me too, and your colorful flowers are such a joy to see on our bleak Winter day also. Thanks for sharing.
...I love lotus flower and the dried seed heads are an added treat. Thanks for sharing these gorgeous images.
Such beautiful flowers! Here in Toronto Canada, we've had very little snow as well. L[ke you, I find the ugly bare branches and grey landscapes quite depressing. Thank you for this little mood brightener!
Debbie @ The Doglady's Den
Wow, I hit something and got a room full of HTML. Your pictures are delightful.
Such rich, vivid colors!
I learned a lot about those 'blooms' from you. We are going into Autumn here in Australia and I am seeing some of the autumnal trees here.
Denyse. #weekendcoffeeshare
So bright, beautiful, and summery! Thanks for sharing and for linking up with #MySundaySnapshot.
That's why I love Spring ... the vibrant colours help say buy to winter!
Jeanne, Gorgeous lotus flowers and photos! Thank you for your weekend coffee share.
So lovely! Spring is just starting here and the fields are full of beautifully coloured wild flowers. It's good for the soul.
Beautiful flowers. I don't know that we have them in Australia.
Beautiful photos of these exquisite flowers. I was taking photos of them a few weeks ago in our Botanic Gardens here in Melbourne (yes, It's Summer here!). Thanks for taking part in the "My Sunday Best" meme.
Hi Jeanne,
Loved your photos. There's a park with these lotus flowers on a pond about 20 minutes drive away up the hill so I rarely get there. Indeed, I've only ever been there filling in time after dropping my daughter at dance rehearsals and getting myself some much needed exercise. However, I'm also very into photography and these lotus p0lants are intriguing and have such a seasonal cycle to them, whereas much of our Australian flora is evergreen such as gum trees. As you pointed out, the flowers also have such intriguing shapes. I made a point of photographing them through the year taking my daughter to rehearsals and they were quite striking when they were all brown, dead, twisted and distorted. I'm sure I must've posted photos of them on my blog, but can't find anything now.
It's Summer here. Some beautiful sunny days, scorchers, but also a lot of rain lately...a mixed bag. I am not wishing our Summer away and still wantto fit in a swim where I actually get all of me wet. I have such good intentions, so many distractions.
Hope you have a great week!
Best wishes,
Rowena from Beyond the Flow
Your lotus images are beautiful. And I was interested to learn how to tell the difference between them and water lilies. How lovely to live close enough to Biltmore to go there often. We loved it when we visited, but it was between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so while the home was beautifully decorated, the grounds were certainly not. I would love to see them; I have seen other parks created by Olmstead who I think did Biltmore.
WOW. Those plants are gorgeous!
Lotuses are my favorite plants. I also love what they represent: resilience. They grow from the mud in the bottom of the pond and rise up to become beautiful flowers.
Absolutely stunning photos! Lotuses always have an other worldly look to them IMO. Thanks for sharing these photos. It's a nice relaxing break to see them!
Shirley
Very beautiful is this sacred lotus Nelumbo nucifera that you met at a swimming pool. And also very nicely photographed. Beautiful log and I too long for spring and summer. And not only me but also my body. greetings from NL, Tine
Winter can seem like a long time, especially when it is bare without snow. Therefore I enjoy your flower post. I think your lotus flower pictures are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
we are in the early Spring now, by next few weeks we will have summer.....
Beautiful flowers
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