This was only my fourth trip to see these flowers blooming. I am absolutely in awe of the magnificence and beauty of the water fields as we make the turn on the waterway and arrive at the site. I cannot get enough of them. They bloom in the hottest parts of July and August and one must travel by boat to see them. They are not cutting flowers so one must enjoy them in the wild.
Considered invasive by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, many of the fields were sprayed with an herbicide to destroy them. I believe they are only invasive to boaters because wildlife thrive in their presence. We saw an alligator lounging on a lily pad waiting for minnows for breakfast and hundreds of birds were on the blooms or the pads eating insects and the seeds of the lily.
Thanks again to Scott Schexnaydre, a PBaser, for taking me out in the early morning in his flatbottomed boat to enjoy one of the beautiful sights in nature.