Spatterdocks

While walking in Sawgrass Lake Park, I spotted these Spatterdocks floating above the water in the canal. I like the way they're grouped in this shot. Throughout the canal, there are many little groupings of these Spatterdocks.

There are many varieties of Water Lilies and this is just one of them. The blossoms look like little yellow unopened flowers and aren't very showy. What I like best about these are the various colors, ranging from yellows to greens to a pretty purple color.

Spatterdocks grow from Rhizomes and support much aquatic life. "Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. This invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called "detritus") for many aquatic invertebrates. Spatterdock is grazed by deer while the rhizomes are consumed by beavers, muskrats, and nutria. Seeds are consumed by ducks and other waterfowl." - http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/emergent_plants/spatterdock.htm

Personally, I just like the peaceful setting of the Spatterdocks floating on the canal. It's amazing how much we can find to photograph in nature if we just slow down and open our eyes and minds. Nature is all around us. We need to protect it for the future.

Mexican Sunflower

This plant was started by a small, bare stick from my friend's plant. I put it in the ground about a year ago. Today, it stands about 15 ft high and 8 ft wide. The blossoms grow on the ends of the branches, so the outside of the tree is covered with these beautiful sunflower-like flora. Each blossom is about 4-5 inches in diameter.

Mexican Sunflowers are very attractive to butterflies, so I have an added benefit that I can also photograph many species of butterflies when they light on the blooms.

There are many varieties, some are bright orange, some reddish and all the colors in between.

Loyce

Common Spatterdocks

Today my friend and I went for an early morning walk through Sawgrass Lake Park, here in St Petersburg, FL, looking to capture some bird photos.

While we didn't see many birds, I spotted these Spatterdocks and liked the way the light was hitting them, The reflections of the tree in the upper center frame is just icing on the cake to complete my composition.

Loyce