‘Kathy McCain’ Water Lily

'Kathy McCain' Tropical Water Lily

‘Kathy McCain’ Water Lily

Water Lilies

by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)

My whole life is mine, but whoever says so
will deprive me, for it is infinite.
The ripple of water, the shade of the sky
are mine; it is still the same, my life.

No desire opens me: I am full,
I never close myself with refusal-
in the rhythm of my daily soul
I do not desire-I am moved;

by being moved I exert my empire,
making the dreams of night real:
into my body at the bottom of the water
I attract the beyonds of mirrors…

Translated by A. Poulin

I photographed these beauties at the lily ponds at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I also photographed the identification sign of these bright magenta lilies, but I can find no information about this specific variety. Perhaps they are a relatively new hybrid.

I do think the color is quite intense, more so compared to the other tropicals that were in these gardens. I also love the lily pads with the variegated colors – adds a touch of pattern to the simply shaped flower.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC.

 

‘Blue Beauty’ Water Lily

'Blue Beauty' Tropical Water Lily

‘Blue Beauty’ Water Lily

The ‘Blue Beauty’ Water Lily is one of the more popular water lilies. It is a hybrid developed in 1896 when hybrid studies were just being undertaken. Originally called ‘Nymphaea pulcherrima’, a pseudo-Latin name translated as “beautiful water-lily,” its name was changed to ‘Blue Beauty’ in the 1930s.

I love the bluish-lilac color, but even more I love the blue-gray, two-toned shadows of the two lilies. This is one of those photographs where I think the shadow as interesting as the subject. The lilies that stand above the water — this one grows 6″ to 8″ above the surface of the pond — seem to cast rather impressionistic, moody shadows on the barely rippling pond surface.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. While at the Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival, she paid a morning visit to the tropical water-lily ponds. What a wonderful collection!