THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE LOTUS FLOWER

The rare Ruff escaped me however Mother Nature provided other photo opportunities.

Below are some pictures of one of the most sacred flowers, the Lotus Flower, in different stages of development.


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Lotus bud

The Lotus flower opens at dawn then closes at dusk.

A magnificent Lotus flower in full bloom with its yellow seed capsule being enjoyed by the honey bees.

After the petals fall off the seed capsule grows larger and changes from yellow to green (top left in picture below).

I didn't take a picture of the final stage where the seed capsule dries up, turns brown and the seeds fall into the water.

AMAZING: According to Wikipedia under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China. How incredible is that?

A group of Fulvous Tree Ducks flew by while looking for the Ruff.

A couple of the Fulvous Tree Ducks passed a bit closer later on.

A Common Nighthawk snoozing on a pipe.

Red-winged Blackbirds love to have their picture taken.

The most unusual find of the day was a Coyote skirting the edge of some tall grass in a field in the daytime. He paused for an instant then disappeared in the tall grass. This was as close as I came to a 'rough' all day. :)