Photography by John Michael

3+ Wonders of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

The Gardens are heading for a long winter nap, as you can see in the photo below, the ponds are bare of the summer greens and colors of the waterlilies and lotus

except for the tropical waterlily – Victoria (those lilypads reach up to 8 feet in diameter!)

a “flock” of turtles out in the sun trying to overcome the cooling of the ponds…

A big splash of purple from one of the waterlilies …

Wait ’til you see the calendar I”m composing about this wonderful place…

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Slideshow

If you haven’t seen them, I’ve got a growing album of the waterlilies and lotus that I’ve captured over the past four years at this gem in the crown of the National Park Service System in the United States.

Please enjoy —

I have created greeting cards – Notecards and Print enlargements are available for purchase. Please contact me for further details if you’d like to purchase any of what you see.

Thank you.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens – The VICTORIA Waterlily

I returned to the gardens and because of the warm weather, the tropicals were still much in bloom and growing. Despite the other ponds being stripped of their vegetation (the Lotus ponds were BARE … what had been waving “elephant ear” leaves and seed pods was now short “stumps” poking out of the mud, since these ponds were drained)

Alas, my quest that I had been in pursuit of the last time I had visited, was going through it’s changes. The exterior of the bud, the size of a football (or a coconut still in its husk) had peeled away to reveal the snow white bud still tight. Now the flower was open and the center lines of the petals were pink. Another flower had totally turned nearly red in color signifying it’s end of cycle of the two day blooming.

Victorias are “night bloomers” so one must get to them before the midday sun forces the bloom to close its petals.

Enjoy the photos…

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

One of the hidden gems in the National Park System and in the Washington DC area — it’s over 100 years old and one of my favorite places to photograph and explore and relax — it’s away from the crowds and the 14 plus acres of ponds are filled with the work of nature (with a little help from the park rangers) — known for the waterlilies that grace the ponds, there are also lotus that are rather majestic.

It was begun by a Federal officer returning from the US Civil War. The park has a rather interesting background — if you check out my website, you’ll find a small selection of the numerous photographs I’ve collected there since 2003. Many people who are lifetime residents of the Washington, DC area have never visited this wonderful place.