Water Lilies also known as Nymphaeaceae
Here at Rockingham Forest Park, we have lots of beautiful plants and wildflowers, if you’ve visited before then you would have noticed the beautiful water lilies forming a stunning blanket over part of the Oak Lake near reception, if you are visiting soon then they are worth a look, if nature is your thing.
You’ll notice they have beautiful large, rounded waxy leaves and the cupcake-like petals bloom above the surface of the water. The water lily is a unique aquatic plant and can bloom in a range of many colours. You will notice here at the park we have stunning pink and white ones. The flower can bloom in cup shapes, star-shaped and can be smooth and jagged.
There are over 50 varieties of water lilies over the world, the ones in tropical countries are often jewel tones like purple, orange, yellow and bright blues. Whereas the European ones we are used to seemingly come in more pastel colours. It’s amazing to see how they vary around the world. The largest variety is rightly called the giant lily, but it is also known by other names such as the Amazon water lily, and the Royal water lily, it can grow from 3-6 feet in width and can support a huge 66 pounds of weight.
Water Lilies are very much known for their appearance, but they serve as an important part of the aquatic ecosystem. They rest on the water creating shade and keeping the water around cool and preventing rapid growth in algae. They also provide fish from above predators and heat from the sun.
The water lily is amongst one of the most stunning and popular flowers in the world and even has been the main feature in over 250 paintings by famous art impressionist Claude Monet, several of his most famous works of art.
Written by Kayleigh Marshall
