{"id":114258,"date":"2023-07-09T04:00:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-09T10:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=114258"},"modified":"2023-07-09T04:00:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-09T10:00:18","slug":"blooming-american-lotus-at-sequoyah-nwr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/09\/blooming-american-lotus-at-sequoyah-nwr\/","title":{"rendered":"Blooming American Lotus At Sequoyah NWR"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m sharing more American Lotus photos that were taken at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge<\/span><\/a> last month when I visited my friend and photographer, Steve Creek<\/span><\/a>. Steve very graciously shared some of his favorite locations with me, and this was one of them.<\/p>\n

\"SequoyahSequoyah NWR American Lotus \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/800, ISO 160, -0.7 EV, Canon RF 100-500 mm at 500mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

There were several locations on the refuge where I could see both water lilies and lotuses. When I was visiting only the lotus were in bloom.<\/p>\n

\"BloomingBlooming American Lotus \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/800, ISO 200, -0.7 EV, Canon RF 100-500 mm at 500mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

When American Lotus blossoms are open they can be as wide as 10 inches or more. Both its seeds and roots are edible and have been traditionally used as a food source by various Native American tribes.<\/p>\n

It’s important to note that if you come across American Lotus in the wild and plan to consume it, you should be confident in your identification skills or seek guidance from an expert. Additionally, be aware of the potential presence of pollutants or contaminants in the water where the plant grows, as it can affect the safety and quality of the lotus.<\/p>\n

In addition, at national wildlife refuges, national parks, and national monuments, I believe it is illegal to collect the plants, seeds, and flowers. Check before you collect.<\/p>\n

\"BugBug on an American Lotus \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/800, ISO 200, -0.7 EV, Canon RF 100-500 mm at 500mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

As for me, I have no desire to collect plants other than through my photographs which is why I took so many photos of these beautiful aquatic lotus.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Lotus blossom at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/800, ISO 160, -1.0 EV, Canon RF 100-500 mm at 500mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I took images of the lotus in bud, partially open, and fully open in the morning light. I watched as dragonflies landed on their leaves and as pollinators flew into the flowers.<\/p>\n

\"OpeningOpening American Lotus at Sequoyah NWR \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/800, ISO 250, -1.0 EV, Canon RF 100-500 mm at 500mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The American Lotus is native to North America and because of climate change I believe it will grow and bloom further north than its historic range in the near future.<\/p>\n

\"Reeve'sReeve’s Slough at Sequoyah NWR – Samsung cell phone
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

These last three images from Reeve’s Slough at the refuge show both water lilies and lotus at the slough. The water lily leaves usually float on the water while the lotus leaves are held above it.<\/p>\n

\"AmericanAmerican Lotus at Reeve’s Slough – Samsung cell phone\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This cell phone photo shows more lotus than lily leaves and how the bottomland hardwood forest reaches the shoreline of the slough. My friend, Steve, is also shown in this image.<\/p>\n

\"MorningMorning light on American Lotus at Sequoyah NWR – Samsung cell phone\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I loved the light and shadows I found early in the morning at Reeve’s Slough at the refuge. This slough is also where I photographed two white-tailed Deer does with a fawn<\/span><\/a> one morning at the refuge as the does nibbled on the lotus leaves.<\/p>\n

Birds are my primary subject and my passion but I can’t resist photographing everything else I find in nature.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my wildflower, shrub and tree photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m sharing more American Lotus photos that were taken at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge last month when I visited my friend and photographer, Steve Creek.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":114238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13995,13973,13974],"tags":[13978,11912,6627,6098,7353,6518,13977,13980,4099,4302,13979,14021,13975,14020,4018,13976,165,3996,4095,13996,5063],"class_list":["post-114258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-lotus","category-oklahoma","category-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","tag-american-lotus","tag-aquatic-wildflower","tag-bloom","tag-blooming","tag-blossoms","tag-flowering","tag-lotus","tag-lotuses","tag-morning-light","tag-native","tag-nelumbo-lutea","tag-oklahoma","tag-reeves-slough","tag-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge","tag-sky","tag-slough","tag-spring","tag-water","tag-wetlands","tag-willdflower","tag-yellow-wildflowers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/american-lotus-blooming-slough-mia-mcpherson-2705.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-tIS","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":114483,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/18\/american-lotus-and-dragonflies\/","url_meta":{"origin":114258,"position":0},"title":"American Lotus And Dragonflies","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Today's post is about American Lotus, dragonflies, and the rich habitat of Reeve's Slough at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "American Lotus"","block_context":{"text":"American Lotus","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/wildflowers\/american-lotus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Eastern Pondhawk on a lotus leaf, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sequoyah-nwr-eastern-pondhawk-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-9584.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/sequoyah-nwr-eastern-pondhawk-dragonfly-male-mia-mcpherson-9584.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Lotus","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/wildflowers\/american-lotus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"American Lotus in bloom, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/american-lotus-blooming-slough-mia-mcpherson-7273.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/american-lotus-blooming-slough-mia-mcpherson-7273.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/american-lotus-blooming-slough-mia-mcpherson-7273.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/american-lotus-blooming-slough-mia-mcpherson-7273.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-tailed-Deer-doe-and-fawn-lotus-leaves-mia-mcpherson-0512.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-tailed-Deer-doe-and-fawn-lotus-leaves-mia-mcpherson-0512.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-tailed-Deer-doe-and-fawn-lotus-leaves-mia-mcpherson-0512.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-tailed-Deer-doe-and-fawn-lotus-leaves-mia-mcpherson-0512.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":130399,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/07\/13\/american-green-tree-frog-images-from-sequoyah-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":114258,"position":3},"title":"American Green Tree Frog Images From Sequoyah NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm trying to get caught up with photos I haven't shared yet, so today I am sharing a few American Green Tree Frog photos I've taken at Sequoyah NWR recently.","rel":"","context":"In "American Green Tree Frogs"","block_context":{"text":"American Green Tree Frogs","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/american-green-tree-frogs\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"One chonky American Green Tree Frog, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/american-green-tree-frog-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-8837.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/american-green-tree-frog-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-8837.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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Lower Scarborough Slough, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning I am sharing a simple image of sunrise at the Lower Scarborough Slough. There are several sloughs at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunrise at Lower Scarborough Slough, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-6813.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-6813.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-6813.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/sequoyah-nwr-lower-scarborough-slough-sunrise-mia-mcpherson-6813.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114258\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}