Water Hyacinth

Water Hyacinth

The other day I was walking down a trial by Lake Jesup and found some beautiful Water Hyacinth blooms.  They really are pretty flowers, even though some consider it an aquatic weed. They are extremely fast growing, and they can sometimes cover the entire surface of a lake, choking out sunlight, reducing water flow, and lowering the oxygen content of the lake water.  Water Hyacinth was first introduced into North America in 1884, and in Florida it became a significant problem, but it has since been controlled.  So even though the flowers invasive, I do enjoy seeing them in small quanities.

Water Hyacinth