In 1801, the race was on to present Queen Victoria with a flower from the giant water lily. The Duke of Devonshire was the winner, and it was no easy task coaxing this massive plant into producing a flower in not-so-tropical England. This morning, we took a short walk in the forest to a pond where there were dozens of these magnificent plants and a few of the much sought-after flowers. The flowers were white, telling us that last night was their first night open. Pink flowers indicate two nights, after which the plants are finished with their pollination cycle before moving into seed production.
Each day of exploration has brought new and different highlights from this massive and diverse habitat we call the Amazon Rainforest.
