ponds and pond lilies
Water is a favorite feature of the landscape for many people. On our drives we encounter streams and rivers, lakes and ponds. Thoreau, writing about his Walden Pond, said that water features are the eyes of the landscape. Reflected in those eyes are sky and clouds and the dazzle of the sunlight.
‘A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature. The fluviatile trees next the shore are the slender eyelashes which fringe it, and the wooded hills and cliffs around are its overhanging brows.’ Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854
This time of year, pond vegetation is lush and in bloom. Some ponds and wetland waters are alwost covered by Duckweed (Lemna minor L.), Pickerel-weed (Pontederia cordata L.) and Pond-lilies.
Pond lilies are in bloom and their flat pad-like leaves cover the water like pieces of a puzzle. White Water-lilies, Nymphaea odorata Ait., speckle the edge of almost every pond…
and the yellow cup-like blooms of Cow-lily (Nuphar variegatum Engelm.) brighten the sluggish waters of meandering brooks and wetland ponds…
Last week we drove to South Oromocto Lake in Charlotte County and stopped beside the lake outlet where there is a dam, including a water control structure and a fish ladder. The long, red stems of up-rooted Water-shield (Brasenia Schreberi Gmel.) were gathered in tangles at the control structure.
the red stems and green leaves of up-rooted Water-shield, gathered in the dam at the outlet of South Oromocto Lake
Do you have Pond-lilies and Water-shield where you are?
~
Copyright Jane Tims 2012
Enchanting and informative as usual. LOVE the quote.
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seedbud
September 3, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Hi. Thoreau is one of my favorites! Jane
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jane tims
September 4, 2012 at 7:15 pm
Beautiful photos and drawings. 🙂 We have an overabundance of pondweed (mostly the floating leaf variety) this year, and no lilies at all. We used have a lot of spatterdock (cow lily), but pulled most of it during our first years here and the muskrats took care of the rest. It can so easily take over the pond. There is also some duckweed at the back of the pond, just a little line of it that seems to be constantly there. This year, maybe because of the drought, we have a lot of what I thought was pickerel growing along the edges. Turns out it’s arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), also known as duck potatoes. The corms or tubers can be harvested in the fall, and I’ve read they’re pretty tasty cooked (bitter when raw).
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Robin
September 2, 2012 at 10:48 am
Hi Robin. You have quite a pond! I love the duck-weed. I studied them a bit in university, so I know they have three leaves.. the two floating, of course, and the ‘root’ hanging down into the water is also a leaf, a modified leaf for stability in the water and to absorb nutrients. They are so neat up close… Jane
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jane tims
September 3, 2012 at 2:08 pm
There are quiet inlets along the edges of Whetstone Brook here…Whetstone is a trout brook with three waterfalls along the way allowing water to pool at the edges. In those pools there are both white and yellow waterlilies… but the rushing torrents keep the numbers down. There are a great deal of cattails and other aquatic plants along the way. Each waterfall seems to have its own collection of plants. Most of the cattails are at the top.
Your post here reminds me that I should look more closely and perhaps I’ll get a chance this weekend to go up there if the weather holds out. It’s been awhile. The heat this summer has kept me from visiting as much as I’d like. Thanks for reminding me that there’s always something new to explore right under my nose!
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snowbirdpress
August 31, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Hi Merrill. You are right about the heat. It really discourages me from going outside when I could find all kinds of interesting things. Today it is cool here. Just the right temperature for exploring. Jane
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jane tims
September 1, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Hi, Jane, It looks like I’ll be hung up here all weekend on these blog glitches… Somehow can’t post my post for this week. Half of me wants to just go for a walk and forget about the blog and the other part wants to stay in here and wrestle this thing to the ground till I find out what’s wrong. Such is life… just glad it’s not a REAL problem.
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snowbirdpress
September 1, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Hi Merrill. I had troubles even getting on the Internet this morning so my post is late. We are all victims of our glitchy world!!! Jane
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jane tims
September 3, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Hi, Jane, After the whole weekend of trying to post this…it’s finally up. I just hope this world doesn’t get any more dependant on computers than it is until they can iron out these things.
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snowbirdpress
September 3, 2012 at 8:32 pm
Hi. I’m glad it is working for you now. I love my computer and if it doesn’t work, woe is me. Jane
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jane tims
September 4, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Fabulous photos and illustrations!
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dfb
August 31, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Hi. Thanks! I’m glad you like them. Jane
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jane tims
August 31, 2012 at 9:25 pm