Harder to hate when they're so pretty!

[Mzungu]

:furious:

Water Hyacinth (Eichhoria crassipes) is so incredibly invasive, but until about a week ago I'd never seen it in bloom. I'm having trouble hating it as much as I did...but, pretty or not, it's still invasive.

This is a roadside ditch by our house:

















(You can also see another invasive in the pictures - Myriophyllum aquaticum)

[myjohnson]

MB, you and Geoff need to go to Vietnam!

Picture miles and miles of those water flowers mixed in with lotus flowers all along the country side.

It's a sight to be seen.

I went to Austin a few weeks ago and saw fields of blue bonnets mixed in with some red wild flower. Looked really really cool.

[cichlid1409]

very pretty flowers.

did you take any home?

[Mzungu]

MB, you and Geoff need to go to Vietnam!

Picture miles and miles of those water flowers mixed in with lotus flowers all along the country side.

It's a sight to be seen.

I went to Austin a few weeks ago and saw fields of blue bonnets mixed in with some red wild flower. Looked really really cool.

Now you know why I wanted bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrushes as our "wedding flowers!" (Along with a yellow flower of which I can't currently remember the name)

I'd MUCH rather see hyacinths in their native habitat - I could definitely be a LOT less torn about their beauty. )

[Mzungu]

very pretty flowers.

did you take any home?

No Way! I believe, as responsible hobbyists, we're actually supposed to destroy any and all plants we see - but I just can't bring myself to do so. At least I have enough willpower to resist taking them home and letting them grow more...Sigh.

[ssrprelude]

I would like to have seen that. Nice close ups.

[myjohnson]

Yes, Jim is a big time collector of wild flowers. )

[ssrprelude]

I appreciate nature. Plus they are for your gal )

[Darbex]

Yeah there are tons of those heading toward Lake Houston I saw last summer. Didnt know they werent native and they are invasive.

[Mzungu]

Yeah, they're incredibly invasive. Since they're floating and grow/reproduce VERY quickly, they choke out both space and light for other plants in no time.

[nacra99]

Very pretty!

[wesleydnunder]

Lots of that in Lake Livingston. It's worked its way up into the creeks that empty into the lake and choked some of them worse than the hydrilla does. The only benefit I see there is that when it completely covers an area, it shades out the hydrilla so it doesn't survive in those areas. Beautiful pics, MB.

Mark