Let me tell you about a mystery that happened not long ago. The marsh has many mysteries and this one has a beauty that I will remember for a long time. I took my canoe out on a bright afternoon in flood conditions from the ice house landing. While paddling through the silky black roiling waters..

I spied what was like a beacon shining from the depths. Pure white but tinted to gold from the tannins of the marsh water.

Usually Water lilies bloom on the surface of the marsh in early summer.

 

Like this one. But there was a mystery afoot. Why were some of the water lilies blooming a foot under the surface of the marsh water? The answer could be found earlier in the spring.

Early this spring was relatively dry and the water lilies developed buds at lower water levels. Then down came the rain. And while water lilies have a little room to play with when it comes to water levels they did not prepare for the amount of rain that was left over after the marsh got tired of imitating a giant sponge. The water levels rose so quickly and to such depths that the buds were not able to reach the surface before blooming.

But never fear. There were plenty of blooms observed on the surface of the marsh and water lilies are very capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions. So there will be plenty of water lilies on the marsh for years to come.

Story provided by Weldon Kunzeman.