{"id":129905,"date":"2024-06-29T03:03:39","date_gmt":"2024-06-29T08:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=129905"},"modified":"2024-06-29T11:55:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-29T16:55:34","slug":"blooming-american-lotus-imperfectly-perfect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/06\/29\/blooming-american-lotus-imperfectly-perfect\/","title":{"rendered":"Blooming American Lotus – Imperfectly Perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today, I am sharing some of the American Lotus photos I took while visiting Reeve’s Slough at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. I was there with my dear friend and excellent photographer, Steve Creek<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please click any of the photos to view them larger.<\/p>\n

\"American<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Close<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"American<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"American<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
\"Glowing<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\"Summer<\/a><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

The lotuses were beautiful in the morning light. Some of the blooms were a bit ragged and a few were damaged, most likely due to the storm the day before I took the photos. Despite that, in my eyes, all of the American Lotuses were imperfectly perfect. Nature’s works of art and beauty.<\/p>\n

What is imperfectly perfect?<\/p>\n

In humans, it means being perfect the way you are and accepting yourself as you are, flaws and all. I apply that to the natural world too. Whether my subjects are imperfect due to age, damage, molting, or other causes, they are still perfect to me.<\/p>\n

I didn’t get to see these American Lotuses when they first started blooming, a time when they are most likely to look perfect. That didn’t matter to me because I was still able to view and photograph them in bloom.<\/p>\n

American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea<\/em>) have several unique characteristics related to their flowers and leaves:<\/p>\n

Flowers:<\/p>\n