It seems that Vernon has many native plants with traditional uses from medicinal, to edible, to cleaning pollutants from soil and water, to water runoff control, to uses for shelter and textiles... I have written about cattails, milkweed, sumac, witch hazel, dandelions and ditch flowers. It has gotten so that each time before I post about a native, I feel compelled to search how it is or has been traditionally used. When I stopped by Lily pond to photograph lily pads however, I did so purely to capture the pond's namesake in bloom. But why stop there?
www.survival-mannual.com gives directions on how to make a decotion from lily pad rhizomes that can be used as a disinfectant and to treat anything from: pain, congestion, dysentery and symptoms of IBS. They also claim that a decotion made from the flower is effective in, "reducing sexual desire." Who knew that the solution to midnight rendezvous at the pond may actually grow in the pond? Of course this is just one periodical's claim and I have not confirmed its accuracy.
WebMD does have information on uses for the American White Water Lily and states that it contains chemicals called tannins that may aid in some of the above mentioned conditions; but cautions that "there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses." I do not recommend that my readers consume foraged plants without first discussing it with their doctor.
Vermont Center for Ecostudies has an excellent description of the value of lily pads to several insects for food and reproduction. This article also discusses how sun on a lily pad's leaf, creates a pressure gradient that transports two liters of oxygen per day down to its rhizome at the bottom of the pond. Clearly this is an amazing plant! Some online gardening sites also state that adding lily pads to your pond creates shade that reduces algae growth by keeping the water cooler. They also claim that the plants remove excess nutrients from the water which also reduces algae growth. Conversely, there are numerous sites that discuss how to remove lily pads from ponds. Be that as it may, Lily pond is a VT State Class 2 designated pond and as such requires permits to make any changes to it.
There certainly seems to be quite a few reasons to embrace the lily pads at Lily pond; but admittedly my favorite reason is that in my opinion, they are beautiful and I think that Claude Monet would agree. - Norma Manning
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| White Water-lily |
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| Lily Pads at Lily Pond |
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| Lily Pond |
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| Canada Geese among water-lily |
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| White Water-lily |
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Lily Pond
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