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For the Love Of Nature, Art and Bad Humor
A Comic Gallery of Creative Expression in the Pursuit of Knowledge
Spatterdock
(Cow Lily or Yellow Pond Lily) Nuphar advena
One of the most common but beautiful
aquatic plants ever. (In the Eastern United States anyway).
They have large, heart-shaped leaves (awww) and
perpetually half-open, globe-like yellow flowers.
Signature characteristics that make them totally
delightful and recognizable.
We're common but cool, yo!
Super long, round, thick stems attach the leaves and flowers to a spongy log-looking thing called a rhizome.
The rhizomes have roots and can aimlessly float
around until they find muddy mud to
anchor to and call home.
The globe flowers partially open each morning and then
close again at night. They bloom all summer and have an irresistible odor for pollinating insects.
Sometimes when the flowers close for the evening they accidentally trap insects in for the night,
hugging them like a beloved stuffed animal.
When the sun rises again, the flowers open and release their lil’ captive buddy back into the world.
The flowers eventually lose their ability to snuggle unsuspecting bugs though, when they turn into
bulging seed heads.
The seed head matures and expands
until it ultimately bursts in a poof explosion,
spreading seeds for the next generation at 80 mph.
KA-BOOM!
Baby spatterdocks everywhere.
Despite the exploding,
spatterdock offers many needs.
Deer, rodents, waterfowl and other species eat it.
Teeny-tiny invertebrates make it their home.
Bigger species gather to eat those invertebrates
and enjoy the spatterdock's shade and shelter.
All that commotion makes it a great breeding hotspot too.
(Bow chicka wow wow!)
Humans also love it.
(Not for breeding, necessarily.)
But we do think it’s purty.
And we can eat it too!
Though it’s bitter and reportedly
tastes like sheep’s liver (yum?)
Ancient tribes dried and ground the rhizome
and seeds into a flour for baking.
It was also used in traditional medicine
to stop bleeding and as a pain reliever.
The plant's tannins were also historically used for
dying and tanning things.
Spatterdock is the new black?
Crayon creators...take notes.
Spatterdock is native to Florida (and much of the US and
other parts of the world) but is considered aggressive.
They grow aggressively. Specially when excessive nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) are introduced into the environment.
Increased nutrients accelerate reproduction and growth
and can clog up waterways in just a few years, interfering with fun, human recreation. What nerve!
But more importantly, it reduces oxygen and light in the water which is bad news for the entire ecosystem.
Removing it by hand is bad too.
It leaves fragments of rhizomes and seeds
in the water, allowing the spread of
even more baby spatterdocks.
The best defense we have is chemical spray.
Effective, but ew, chemicals.
Good thing there is a solution!
Spatterdock and the rest of the ecosystem (including us)
will do just fine if humans all collectively decrease the
input of extra nutrients into the environment.
Fertilizer, leaky septic tanks and other gross stuff
contribute to the nutrient overload every day.
Switching to native, locally-friendly plants
in our landscaping is one easy answer.
They don't need as much fertilizer, water or fuss.
Spatterdock and the rest of the ecosystem get plenty of what they need without our nutrient contribution.
Please don't feed the spatterdock.
And let us cheers to a healthy population of spatterdock
and all the support and beauty it brings!
References:
https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/nuphar-advena/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuphar_advena
http://www.wildsouthflorida.com/spatterdock.html
https://www.fnps.org/plant/nuphar-advena
https://uswildflowers.com/detail.php?SName=Nuphar%20lutea
Special thanks to Jay Exum, Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology for his expert fact checking!
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