Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-07-28
WATER LILIES
IN LAST GLORY
FOUND
Flora Vanishing At
March of Progress
In Brilliant Array on
Brownsville Water

Water lilies by the hundreds,
white ones, pink ones, blue ones,
dancing and sparkling in the sun
shine, poised lightly on slender
stems which lift them high above
the water of the pind in which they
grow.
Such is the sight which meets
the eye of anyone stumbling upon
what is among the last retreats of
one of the most charmingly exotic
flowers native to the Lower Valley.
In a shallow, irregular pond of
about an acre in area, located
north of Thirteenth street in Sum
mitt Place here, the lilies have ia
ken root, and have spread from
margin to margin, covering the sur
face Of the water with their glossy
leaves, and dotting it with blossoms.
A place more to the liking of the
water lily species could scarcely be
found, lying as the pond does, open
to the sunlight, and to the sweep
of the breeze. Here, too, they have
the still water essential to their
growth, not too deep, and with a
bottom of rich alluvial mud depos-
tied by Rio Bravo along its deserted
tracks, giving the site its last touch
of perfection for the preservation of
the fast disappearing water lily.
Tiny yellow water plants with five
slender petals, star the water among
the lilies, while along the bank sew
eral other kinds of aquaticS with
decorative foliage appear, while
adding life to the scene, a few wan
dering sea gulls flap and dive above
the water.
Natural Preserve
It would seem that the place had
really been set aside by nature as
a preserve, for here are gathered,
in full strength Of growth, such a
variety of shades and forms as old
time residents familiar with the
flora of the vicinity, declare they
have never seen before in the neigh
borhood of Brownsville. Though the
flowers are O. medium size, because
Of insufficient rainfall, white md
blue, as we'll as the rarer pink va
rietieS are well represented. The
blue, a color which is well in the
majority, ranges from a delicate
tint of blue-lavender, through sky
and periwinkle shades to a deep
t&ae almost purple, while the pinks
appear in shades of an exquisite
roSe-lavender, all having a deli
cately distinctive fragrance. In both
fnrv,1 o1I habit IF nrnu-fh thaxV
strongly suggest the sacred lotus.
The picture, lovely as it is, has
more than a touch of pathos, bring
ing to mind as it does the rapid
disappearance of the Wild flora and
fauna of the country before the
encroachmentS of civilization. Not
many years ago, old residents say,
the lilies grew in profuSion in low
places along the banks of the river,
near the railroad bridge. while an
other large bed grew in marshy low
lands along the old beltline from the
railroad to the rice mill, between
Elizabeth and Levee S,.eetS in West
Brownsville, IS well as in many of
the resacaS throughout the county,
and the blossoms appeared daily for
sale in the market. Of all these,
only a few scattered beds remain,
hapS being the largest. There are
also said too be a few near Olmito,
and in secluded parts of rcsacas
around Brownsville. 1t has been re-
ported that a few specimens of the
yellow lily are to be found neal Las
Yescas.
Nymphea Family
The species found in the Valley
are members of the Nymphea, or
true water lily family, Of which
there are a wide range Of varieties.
All thrive best in a temperate or
tropical climate, and seem to be
quite hardy in this locality, the old
residents declare, many times
blooming around Christmas time.
The reSacaS furnish ideal locations
for them, too, : i their quiet wat
ers and rich mud.
Those found Glong the river grew
and doomed during the rainy sea
son. when the water overlooked the
banks and flooded the low land,
living dormant the remainder Of the
Roots in moist earth remain
alive indefinitely, resun1ing growth
when the supply of water is ade-
ouate. The size and beauty of the
bloom depends to a great extent on
q plentiful supply of moisture.
The lilies offer delightful means
of&eautifying the ponds and resa-
cas- which abound in the vicinity
of Brownsville. In beauty they rank
easily with the water hyacinth, Of
ten called orchids by northern Wis
itors unfamiliar with the species,
while the lily does not have the
habits of growth which have made
L. H--nnin&h noct nhnrnNrnY- IL has