The Lotus Christmas story

Although Shenzhen is situated about a degree south of the Tropic of Cancer, due to the Siberian anticyclone it has a warm, monsoon-influenced, humid subtropical climate - fairly close to a tropical one!

Most trees and plants in Shenzhen are evergreen (except for some pine trees) which makes it on face value difficult to distinguish between winter and summer.

As previously mentioned here, Honghu Park (close to where we live), is well known for its lotus flowers, and in peak summer the park is a feast for the eyes.

Interesting, it is also the lotus flowers showing the first signs of the coming winter;

It started with a single petal falling from the flower

But more and more petals falling down, the large leaves catching them as if it wants to hold on to them just a little bit longer

And soon the petalless heads cannot hold on anymore and take a graceful bend

Eventually they bend so low that the leaves and heads disappear into the water as if they are ashamed of what has become of them. But even in this final bow is beauty to be seen

Like in a miracle, the heads managed to free themselves from their roots to rise from the depth of the water

Look close!

Can you see it?

I do!

They completed their metamorphosis to little angles,
ready to join our Christmas tree!

Footnote: I decided to "rescue" a few and dress them up as angles for our Christmas tree. Our grandchild really enjoyed helping me create these angels. After I cut out the first pair of wings, she took initiative and created the other three's wings.