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Lifescapes Gallery
The Case of the Lookalike Nymphet
If you’ve ever gazed at a pond in Coorg and gone βLook… what a beautiful Lotus…β, you may just have to eat your words. For, and forgive me all you Lotus lovers, if it’s a really gorgeous ‘Lotus’, chances are that it isnβt a Lotus at all. It’s most likely to be the much prettier ‘Nymph of the Lakes’, the Water Lily of Coorg, who often gets mistaken for the Lotus, because she shares the habitat, habits and general appearance of the latter. However, she’s a far more colourful character, and can often be seen dressed in shorter party-petals in the most outrageous shades, while the demure Lotus prefers more matronly drapes of pink, white or cream. Moreover, she’s a real water babe and happily skims the surface, while the solemn Lotus sits disdainfully on a 2 feet long stem, protecting her gravitas… and her ample bottom from getting wet. Our Ms. Lily is far friendlier to the environment too, by providing shade to keep the water cool, and oxygenating the water, helping fish to breathe. She also absorbs nutrients from the water that would otherwise feed undesirable aquatic plants. Unlike the Lotus, who wears her position as a ‘sacred’ flower with immense solemnity, the Lily is full of joie de vivre. Her beauty allows her to grace the halls of the high and mighty, and her alluring scent is worn by fashionistas the world over. While the Lotus loves the Sun, our nymphet is a veritable party animal who blooms as easily by night as by day. She may be pretty, but she’s pretty tough too, and flowers for 2 weeks, while the pious Lotus wilts in 5 days. All said and done, it’s high time the Lotus came down from her high perch and understood that any comparison with the Water Lily is only flattering to her.
We at Orange County have loved sharing this story with you, and shall bring you one every fortnight, as part of our Responsible Tourism Initiatives to raise awareness about the nature and culture of the environments we operate in.
Tags: Coorg, Lifescapes, Orange County Resorts
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2015 at 3:30 am and is filed under Coorg, Flora . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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User Comments
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A fortnightly photo-essay on Nature and Culture
Naresh Rautela says:
Thanks for beautifully describing and differentiating between water lily and lotus. Pic is amazing.
Rajgopal Jaju says:
Each and every description of the Lotus Lilly Flower was Awesome. Every month we r seeing a unique concept from the natural beauties of coorg.
Rajesh Ramaswamy says:
Thanx Rajagopal…..we strive to please π
-The Editor
Sujatha V Thampan says:
Hi Rajesh,
The text is beautifully written. I am a media person myself and if I were to look out for a writer them I will definitely show your writing as an example.
Rajesh Ramaswamy says:
Thanx so much Sujatha…you just made my day :=-))
-The Editor
Mallika MuraliBabu says:
Awesome pic and very nice write – up.
Rajesh Ramaswamy says:
Muchos Gracias Mallika π
-The Editor
Dhandapani,P. says:
If you have confusion to identify, look at the margin of the leaves which in water lilies is serrated.
Rajesh Ramaswamy says:
Thanx Dhandapani..very informative. Also, readers, the petals o the water Lily are almost half the size of Lotus petals, and the leaves have a waxy, resinous texture while the Lotus leaves are papery.
-The Editor
abhiyogi says:
Beautiful! Lotus toh ‘kamal’ hai but this flower is ‘kamaal’ ka phool!
Rajesh Ramaswamy says:
Shukriya Abhiyogi ji π
-Editor
anju says:
Beautiful write up! Thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
Rajesh Ramaswamy says:
Thanx so much Anju…we loved putting it together too:-)