On that day we were off to the Lily Pond. This was a lake hidden in the jungle, covered all over with the Amazonica Regia lily pads. These are huge flat round leaves, so strong you can even lie a baby on them. They grow a very special lily, that opens slowly every evening. So we sat there waiting as the sun went down. All kinds of birds came and landed on the lily pads, squawking and calling to each other, flapping their wings. A caiman or two swam past. We drank rum punch and waited.
As it grew darker, the white lilies slowly began to open. They emit an intoxicating scent.
At some point, a beetle arrives and enters the lily. It dives right down into her interior, where all the nectar is, and gets drunk on the sweetness there. It stays there all night, and the next day emerges again to go off and pollinate the next white lily. Meanwhile, the lily it leaves behind turns from white to pink, and from male to female.
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The following photo was taken earlier than the one above it. You can see the same lily at various stages of its life: the still closed pod in the background, and the fully opened pink lily the following day. Nature is so miraculous, so full of surprises!
aruna. 
