Chancing upon a nymph in her freshwater abode could be the inciting incident in a mythological tale, an encounter leading to glory or ruin. Fortunately, the Nymphaea odorata bathing near Blackwater Pond seems unbothered by man; her fragrant spell is being directed towards creatures much smaller.

On the first day of its appearance, the white water-lily opens just wide enough to form a cup filled with nectar. Visiting insects dip in for a drink and leave some of their collected grains in the pool, pollinating the stigma. On the second and third days, the water-lily opens wide, offering its own pollen to visitors while its stigma becomes nonreceptive, preventing self-fertilization. And then the flower of Nymphaea odorata takes leave, returning to the depths of the water to bear seed.