There was only a single water lily in bloom at a pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last week, but its beauty brightened the entire area and brought a smile to my face. Water lilies are one of the reasons why Claude Monet is one of my favorite painters.
Monet did some 250 oil paintings of water lilies (“Nymphéas” in French), many depicting the garden at his home in Giverny, and they were the main focus of his artistic production during the last thirty years of his like, according to Wikipedia.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Only 1? Why? I know they were on the endangered list for a bit. They are beautiful
I think it is somewhat early in the season for them at this particular location. I am pretty sure that more will be blooming soon.
Ellen spots a water lily and the car stops in place…😂😂.
Nice Mike! Enjoyed seeing your image!😊
Beautiful Mike. Have you ever been to Giverny?
Always a favorite scene for me! Nice capture of the lily and environs, Mike.
Thanks, Ellen. We have a wonderful place to visit in this area for aquatic plants, the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Anacostia (a part of Washington DC) that is run by the National Park Service. It has an amazing collection of lotuses and water lilies. I think it has reopened after an extended closure and I hope to be able to visit it sometime relatively soon.
Ooh, I just looked at the Kenilwoorth Park website and it looks delightful! I see a statement about staged re-opening and do hope you get to safely make a visit.
Things are opening at an uneven rate and I am super cautious about being around other people. I’ll just play it by ear and see how it goes with Kenilworth.
Beautiful, Mike! Monet would enjoy it much, I am sure!
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I love water lilies. And thinking about the smile it brought you. 💕