still learning

after i took yesterday’s photo, i placed the white lily flower in a bowl of water. as evening progressed, the lily closed up. i assumed it was because i had violated it by snipping off its stem. but the enormous bud was as elegant in it’s contained simplicity as the blossom had been elegant in its gaudy exuberance. so i photographed the bud. and then this morning it magically appeared to rise from the dead, opening up slowly and surely into full open palmed bloom. so i googled american white water lily, and sure enough–the flower closes up every evening, and reopens every morning. seven yeas of STILL blog, seven years of paying attention, seven years of living on a lake with water lilies surrounding our dock, and yesterday i learned about this daily ritual for the first time.

american white lily bud (Nymphaea odorata)