There is a pond on the outskirts of Medulin, the small, tourism-oriented seaside town in which I live. The pond is pretty large and nothing similar can be found in this southern part of Istra that gravitates around the city of Pula. Ponds like this, along with some rivers can be found only from the city of Pazin northwards, sixty or more kilometers from here.
Today I walked about a hundred meters ...
... from my house to the aforementioned pond ...
... and I spent an hour with the beautiful flowers that grow in that water.
I don't know who threw the seeds or planted the rhizomes there ...
... but I'm pretty sure that they appeared a little more than a decade ago. My memory says so, and although that memory isn't impeccable, I tend to believe her in this case.
Nymphaea alba it's an aquatic flowering plant native to North Africa, Europe, and the temperate & tropical regions of Asia.
The leaves are pretty large, up to thirty centimeters in diameter ...
... and a multitude of leaves usually creates a solid carpet in the shallows. That cover made of leaves provides shade and shelter for many aquatic and semi-aquatic creatures.
These Waterlillies definitely made the habitat richer and more interesting.
Later, in Summer, a month or two from now ...
... when some of the water evaporates ...
... I'll be able to walk through the mud and photograph the insects and other small animals that congregate on the leaves & flowers.
Nymphaea alba has a long history in traditional herbal medicine.
The plant contains the active alkaloids nupharine and nymphaeine and can be used as a sedative. The petals and other flower parts are the most potent source of the aforementioned compounds.
And that's it for today.
HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE SIGHT OF THESE LUSH WHITE PETALS. AS ALWAYS IN THESE POSTS ON HIVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MY WORK - THE END.
In this postscript shot taken by a friend, you can see me talking to a group of local ducks and geese.