Our native fragrant water lilies (Nymphaea odorata) are rising in good number now and often filling their neighborhood with heaven-sent scents, as are these in the WoodenBoat pond:
These aromatic wildflowers are so different from the famous water lilies painted by Claude Monet that many of us saw in grade school art classes as our first examples of the plant.
Here, our native plants often are in naturally occurring ponds or still lakes that are fed by one or more small streams. We have one choice of the wildflower’s color: white with gold interior. Parts of the plants are eaten and left ragged by muskrats and other wildlife, the pads often are littered with nasty-looking little creatures and their leavings. But, still – wild water lilies remain beautiful and smell nice and muskrats are fun to watch. There’s no sense being picky.
I learned later in life that the wealthy Monet meticulously designed and had his famous pond built and maintained as part of his pristine sanctuary at Giverny; he reportedly even had a river re-routed to feed it. Many of his colorful water lilies reportedly were rare and expensive hybrids that he installed and had individually cleaned daily by a crew that maintained the pond and tried to keep muskrats out. Now, that’s being picky!
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on June 24, 2026.)