Water Lily in Moir Gardens, Poipu Beach, Kauai

Beauty, grace and elegance in movement are shown as this pink water lily stretches skyward, gathering sunlight. A slender but sturdy stalk emerges from the murky pond and rises upward like a phoenix. The petals, when they open, will be pristine even as the flower’s roots remain firmly anchored in the pond’s muddy bottom.

The fossil record shows that the water lily (Nymphaea genus) was one of the earliest flowering plants and thrived alongside the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period, millions of years ago.

These flowers so inspired French impressionist Claude Monet that he immortalized his remarkable Giverny water lily garden in more than 200 oil paintings. His water lilies seem to drift almost dreamlike in an endless flow on the canvas.

Water lilies continue to enchant us. Their gliding bright green leaves form a scalloped tablecloth on the dark surface of this aquatic garden. Our eyes will enjoy the feast of the brilliant colored petals as they unfurl in the morning sun, swaying to their own internal rhythm.