Sunday Selections #104

Welcome back to Sunday Selections!

This once-a- week-meme was originally begun by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, as a way to showcase some of the many photos we all take, but don't get around to showing on our blogs.

The rules are very simple:-

1. post photos of your choice, old or new, under the Sunday Selections title

2. link back to me, River, somewhere in your post

3. leave me a comment so that I know you've joined in and can come over and see what you've posted.

I usually go with a theme for my Sunday Selections and this week I have photos of the lotus pond in our Botanical Gardens.

I'd heard on TV that the lotus were flowering, so I grabbed my camera and caught the bus into town. 

I have in my head that this is a Lily pond, but as you can see the flowers are Sacred Lotus.
 

There weren't as many open blossoms as I'd hoped for.

So pink it's almost purple.

As the seed pods develop, the petals begin to open fully.

The leaves are thick around the edges of the pond.

The centre has lots of dead stalks and green algae.

A lone duck.

Here's the rest of the family.

After the petals are fully opened, they gradually drop away and the seed pod ripens to green.

Here's another one, with the stamens still surrounding the seed pod.

Here you can see many new buds waiting to open and a few seed pods that have turned green.
As they become fuller and heavier with the seeds inside, they will droop and look like shower heads.
Then they will dry and turn brown and the ripened seeds will drop into the pond to grow again next summer.

Looking across the pond into the sun gave a rainbow effect to this photo.