Crinum paludosum, a celebration in muddy water

“Panned out” is given another meaning by Crinum paludosum in its exorbitant response to summer wetness at Sandhof near Maltahöhe.

Untold combinations of environmental conditions create ecological niches at microlevel, or more widely. Each favours a different life form or combination of forms reaching dominance. When an outcome favours one species only, its domination may yield a spectacular, monoculture outcome. Barriers to entry into such monopolies may persist in tough environments, sustaining extraordinary niches in their singularity, maybe more seasonally than continuous. 

But flowers need pollinators. This species has pollinators for sustaining seed production in the large population of lilies. A new C. paludosum plant may take four years before flowering. As a consequence, the lilies sustain the population of pollinators, albeit only seasonally. Honeybees are important among the insect visitors to these faintly fragrant flowers. Who knows how many moths hover over and land on the largely white trumpets at night? So, these plants are not as alone as they may appear. 

And then there are the people who admire and may interfere or not. Who knows what will be here in a century, let alone ten?