In Search of the American Lotus

a single blossom

A field of American Lotus

This was as close as I could get. The location is in the Mannington Marsh Wildlife Refuge
Salem Woodstown Rd, Mannington Township, NJ 08079
In search of the American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea), looking in the Mannington Creek, Salem County. Looks like Mannington Meadows is also a place to see Sandhill Cranes.
“There is a very large growth of the American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) in the tidal wetlands there—several acres with thousands of plants in bloom. That’s a rare native species this far north and it was discovered by John Bartram and the Swedish botanist Peter Kalm around 1750 in the same general location—tidal creeks in southern NJ. It was one of Bartram’s significant garden introductions. He brought roots back from south Jersey and established them in his pond and along the banks of the lower Schuylkill River.”
egyptian-lotus-flower-photo