I miss my water hawthorne. It's a bit harder to keep alive here with our extreme heat, but it used to be nice to have in the greenhouse through the winter, with its scented flowers that bloomed even in the lower light.

psa so much for the acorn tip.

The water Hawthorne are very fragrant. And the hardy water lilies I have had for 25 years.

I really appreciate the beautiful colors of all your water lilies.

Just beautiful Bea, your pond looks very healthy. I miss having a variety of lilies like you have but I don't miss having to divide them annually. Getting into the cold mud in early spring was never fun. The things we do for flowers and fish.

Thank you Alice. Yours are beautiful .
It's nice to have water lilies they flower every year right on time.

Our neighborhood has a pond company that comes around and sprays for noxious weeds and attempts to keep algae down. I know they would annihilate any lilies I put in the water but I am so tempted to try. The algae is an ongoing issue from fertilizer runoff and the increasing temp of the water. Personally, I think water lilies would help to take up the fertilizer and shade/cool the water.

It's all the mosquitos they spray for too. If there were fish in the ponds ? No mosquito issues . I agree they could use water lilies .

We have huge carp in the ponds but they are about to add some new kind of mosquito fish.

I see your huge pond in a pic. I hope no alligators. The recent attacks on the news is frightening. More than usual because new homes are impinging on there habitat.

Mosquito fish are illegal in most areas in Or. and Wa. The Oregon fish and wildlife service has stipulated the only areas in Oregon where they can be used. Most of the mosquito eggs are eaten by any of the fish in the water ways. But it's a record year for mosquitos because the frog eggs were frozen due to a late winter storm across the PNW.
There are several amphibians that hang out by the ponds.I always keep carp in the horses water helps keep the moss/algae and mosquitos in check.

Yes, a woman was killed by a gator just this past monday in SC. Sadly it is often someone who has walked too close to the water's edge with a dog. The gator goes after the dog and the human tries to save the dog losing their own life in the act.

They are going to add Triploid Grass Carp to the 24 ponds in our neighborhood to eat the algae. To add the carp we need to get a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. I guess that is similar to what OR and WA are doing.

We did have a guy from Fish and Wildlife stop by last year and offer us mosquito fish, which I thought was odd since we live right next to a large river delta, and mosquito fish are considered invasive here.

Thankfully no gators in this part of the country and my frogs seem to be doing well this year. This guy was sitting on the vertical side of an 8-foot tall top-off tank.



I have koi, goldfish, tilapia which eat the mosquitoes and algae in all of my water, but I don't have any open drainage ditches or anything like some of my neighbors, so I don't have to worry about people coming out and doing bizarre things to them. My mother-in-law never knows when they're going to come out and dump herbicide, insecticide, or algaecide into her front yard, or dredge it out completely like they did a few years ago.

Lots of these on patrol, of course, in the air and water, but they're not nearly thorough enough to make a difference, I think.

Alice the holding ponds in Florida are designed to catch water that street drains cannot handle thru hurricanes and the monsoon season. They also attract alligators and many beautiful birds in the region.

psa we have a river near by . Many areas that are restricted to have mosquito fish is a concern that a flood could wash the mosquito fish out of private ponds into the water ways. Wa. & Or. are especially protective of trout and salmon in rivers and streams.

The frog is just like mine a permanent resident , as is the beautiful dragon fly. nice pics

The tree frogs are about to start up , tiny but loud.

Yes, most, but not all, are stormwater retention ponds. The water is used, along with reclaimed water for watering public spaces and golf courses.

Bea, I hope you have been to see some of Florida's springs, they are amazing to see.



Loved seeing the frogs. We don't see the little green ones anymore. The invasive Cuban Brown's have taken them out.

Alice I haven't seen Fl springs. However have seen many in Colorado -many popular mineral springs and several other states.
Been to the Everglades … amazing and several public gardens over the years from central Florida coastal areas - Vero Beach to Miami, and to the Everglades. Vizcaya Gardens and the history is fascinating and a vast collection of plants from around the world. Much like the Hearst Castle and gardens in California but with a twist.

The springs are not like any of the usual Florida sights, I have no idea how many there are but the central part of the state is dotted with these gorgeous colorful water holes. Often they are state or county parks. Some, on private property charge admission to park. The springs have no medicinal properties like the Colorado ones, these were formed by limestone dissolving. They are nothing fancy the surroundings can even be grubby, you are in the middle of woods usually. Most people do not see these parts of Florida.

Looks like floating sunshine.

I've finally got my first lotus bloom this year. Lots of buds coming up, though.

Lovely! My lotus is in a black pot, sitting in the sun, so the water gets hot very early in the season and stays hot - over 100 degrees. This encourages early growth. I have to put several inches of water in the pot each day to both maintain a water level and to cool the water somewhat. It also peters out earlier than one of yours would. I can tell mine is starting to give out already.
These are the 11th and 12th flowers on the Super Lotus Juwuba.