The sight of the swaying daffodils inspired Wordsworth to write a poem. Renowned French artist Monet was inspired to paint a whole series of flowers. The world over, flowers have fascinated people. They are used for decoration, gifting and in rituals and festivals. Some flowers are cultivated and some grow wild. Both types hold appeal though it is fascinating to watch the latter, with Mother Nature lending a helping hand. One example is the water lily, growing freely in fields, on ponds, lakes, backwaters and any shallow water surface.
Water lilies belong to the family Nymphaeaceae and come in different colours, to be found in temperate and tropical climates around the world. The white water lily (scientific name Nymphae pubescens) is native to India and South-East Asia. The floating leaves are elliptic or round, and grow up to 25 cm. The flowers have 12 petals and rise above the water, measuring up to 15 cm in diameter. In India apart from the white water lily we have red, pink and blue lily varieties.
More often than not, the water lily is mistaken for the lotus. They are different flower species altogether, though they can be found in a single location such as, say, lakes. The leaves of the lily float on the water surface and the flower raises itself above the water surface by about a foot. The lotus flower on the other hand is large in size and both flowers and leaf stalks rise above the water. Once the lotus petals fall, its seed pod appears like a water sprinkler nozzle or a wasp hive.
In our country, water lilies can be found in abundance in shallow wetlands and paddy fields. Once when we were visiting a relative, his young son plunged into a waterlogged field and emerged holding triumphantly in his hand a bunch of white water lilies. At other times I have seen boys making a gift of these flowers to their beloved.
It’s a picturesque scene when the water lily is surrounded by water birds like the spot-billed duck, common coot and jacana. Many of these birds have long legs and the large lily leaves help them walk on the water surface easily. Beneath the shade of the water lily thrive water creatures like fish, tadpoles and dragonfly nymphs.
I have had the opportunity to observe these beautiful flowers up close. As the monsoon draws to an end the backwaters of the Krishnarajasagar dam in Mysore District flood the plains, swamping the fields with water. Where once this area was awash with swaying paddy fields, now the shallow waterlogged fields are dotted with thousands of white water lilies in full bloom all facing the sun — a dazzling carpet of white all along the wetlands and the across the river bank. By 4 pm the petals close and the flowers bend down to touch the water surface. The next day the flowers are seen in bloom once again.
During the month of December, a large number of water lilies are found floating on the surface rapidly dying. With the retreating river waters the water level subsides by 15 to 20 feet. Then the paddy fields start to emerge from beneath. After January the waters recede and before the onset of summer, the water lily population disappears, with the land sporting paddy fields once again.
As poet Robert Herrick wrote in his sonnet To Daffodils:
We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away,
Like to the summer's rain;
Or as the pearls of morning's dew,
Ne'er to be found again