Rewilding My Lot

Soon after the pond was installed (November 2024), I added two kinds of waterlily: American White Waterlily (Nymphaea odorata), and Banana Waterlily aka Yellow Waterlily (Nymphaea mexicana).

By spring of 2025, I was seeing yellow waterlily flowers fairly often. Each time they appeared, for a few days they would open around noon and close at late afternoon. By spring of 2026, it was not unusual to see multiple yellow waterlily blooms at the same time.

However, there were no white waterlily blooms until May 11, 2026 when I finally saw the first one. The white blooms open earlier in the day than the yellow — about mid-morning — and they close during the afternoon.

Here are some more photos. On the day that I first saw the white bloom, there was also a yellow bloom in the pond. To catch them both open simultaneously, apparently the best time is about 2pm.