Loti and The Traveling Teacup

after returning home from our travels in June Mr Magpie and I decided to visit the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens which is a free National Park not too far from our house…

our traveling tea cup was not quite ready to be put back in her box…

I have always wanted to see the Lotuses in bloom (or Loti as they are also called)…

there were lovely varieties of water lilies as well in these water gardens (“This 12-acre sanctuary features over 45 ponds filled with a variety of tropical and hardy water lilies, lotus, and other aquatic species. Established on the east bank of the Anacostia River, the park contains human-made shallow ponds and dikes surrounded by 70 acres of fresh-water tidal wetlands.”)

it was not hard to lose track of time and spend hours enjoying nature and snapping photos like crazy (turned out that was the last low humidity day we had for awhile!)…

the lotuses typically bloom from June through August here in the Washington, DC area…

other flowers are in bloom from late May through September…

the lotuses were so beautiful we decided to return in a few weeks to check on them again…

and what a difference a few weeks and our tropical heat made (some loti were taller than Mr Magpie!)…

it has been very HOT and HUMID here in the Washington DC area …

 like so many states in the US recently…

we brought the traveling tea cup with us again carefully using a lily pad as a saucer at the edge of a lily pond…

here are some notes based on our experiences at the Aquatic Gardens so far…

accompanied by photos which are my favorite way of telling stories…

 You are more likely to be bitten by a mosquito in your own backyard than at the aquatic gardens with more on that here…

You may want to set aside several hours at least for your visit because there is lots to explore and it is so beautiful there…

Early morning is recommended for seeing night blooming plant species but any time of day there is something wonderful happening…

A parasol is very nice for shade from the sun AND for shading a blossom when the sun would be too bright to snap a good photograph…

It might be muddy so open shoes are not a great idea…

There is poison ivy in some spots so be mindful where you lean or step  * leaves of three let them be *…

Best to visit with someone as they can help save you stepping off the camouflaged edges into the water while you are trying to get that perfect shot OR from falling into a muskrat hole along the paths…

If you run out of water they sell bottled water at the information center near the picnic area and bathrooms …

I promise that my T stands for Tuesday post next week will be much much shorter ♥

“If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.”    -Masaru Emoto, The Secret Life of Water