Hidden Gardens

The Aquatic Gardens is a tiny jewel of a park hidden behind the garbage of Kenilworth Avenue in Washington, DC. This is peak blooming season for these aquatic plants, so even though it was beastly hot out today, we paid a visit. Here's a description from their website:

The Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is the only National Park Service site devoted to the propagation and display of aquatic plants. Situated on 14 acres along the east bank of the Anacostia River, the Gardens were begun as the hobby of a Civil War veteran W.B. Shaw in 1882, and operated for 26 years as a commercial water garden. During the time that Mr. Shaw, and later his daughter, Mrs. L. Helen Fowler, operated the gardesn, they were successful in developping many new varieties of water lilies, two of which bear their names. In 1938, the Gardens were purchased from Fowler by the Federal Government. It was as that time that the facility ceased operating as a commercial enterprise and because part of the National Park system.

We were lucky to join a tour with a park ranger, who revealed some of the challenges of operating a park like this. We learned about the delicate balance in the food chain, about the persistence of turtles, and about the predilection for pink water lilies displayed by hungry beavers.

I highly recommend a trip to the Aquatic Gardens if you haven't been. You will never again see so many water lilies in one place!