This particular pond was full of unusual water lilies from various countries around the world. It was about this time when I saw a sort of ominous reflection in the water of a large bird. I was so startled that I simply couldn’t react quickly enough get a picture of it as it flew overhead. It was flying pretty low, and everybody was in awe. I think it was some kind of heron, which I’ve seen before in these gardens. I could kick myself now for not being faster on the shutter!

Saturday was the first day of the annual Lotus and Water Lily Festival at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in northeast Washington, D.C. We had just missed the festival last year, so it was nice to be part of the festivities this time around. The place was packed – unlike last year -- but the flowers were in full bloom and beautiful. It never ceases to amaze me that places so full of nature like this exist in the middle of the nation’s capital.

The other color, posted earlier: