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| Lake Erie Metropark has several ponds with large fields of wild-growing American Lotus. The American lotus, Nelumbo lutea, is the only native lotus in North America. We walked there this weekend, as well as having been there a few weeks ago (post). |
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| Lotus leaves and stalks protrude above the surface of the water. The seed pods, as shown here, have a characteristic shape with holes for the round seeds. |
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| More lotus at Lake Erie Metropark, located down the Huron River from Ann Arbor. |
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| Lotus root is also a delicious vegetable, used in Chinese cuisine. This sweet & sour lotus root was from the restaurant Mama Chang in Fairfax, VA. |
The Sacred Lotus
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| In Buddhism, the lotus is a sacred symbol of purity and other virtues. This Buddha statue in my back garden is seated in the Lotus Position; that is, with crossed legs. The base of the statue represents the petals of the lotus flower. |
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| An Asian lotus at Lotusland, a botanical garden in Santa Barbara (2003) |
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| Shinobazu Lotus Pond in Ueno Park, Tokyo, 2011. One of many famous places for lotus. |
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| “Lotus Pond at Shinobazu at Ueno,” Hiroshiga Ando (1797-1858) In Tokyo in 2011, I walked past this pond several times, but it was winter — no lotus blossoms! |
The Lotus and the Water Lily
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| A water lily floats on the surface of the water along with its leaves at Kent Lake in Michigan. The floating leaves and flowers distinguish the water lily from the lotus. |
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| Several types of exotic water lilies at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Some types of tropical water lilies have huge leaves, big enough for a person to stand on. |
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| You can’t think about water lilies without thinking about Monet. At the Orangerie in Paris, where I took this photo in 2019, you can see the enormous water lily paintings. Everyone takes a photo! |
Blog post and photos © 2003-2023 mae sander
4 comments:
Such beautiful photos. And I love the Japanese print. That Monet room in Orangerie -- I'll never forget it.
We loved visiting the Orangerie because of the way it is set up. You can sit in the middle of the room and as the light changes you see different things in the paintings.
Hello,
The lotus blooms are beautiful. I have seen them at Longwood Gardens, looking lovely. I like your Buddha statue. I did not know the lotus root is a vegetable. Take care, have a wonderful day!
I love these. We have some in the botanical garden here, too. It can carry a child even.
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