In the afternoon of Day 6 of our trip to Trinidad & Tobago, 18 March 2017, my friends and I visited the Nariva Swamp on the east coast of Trinidad, which is mainly agricultural habitats with some wetlands. We had some good birding there and last night I posted photos of a few more of the birds we saw. We also saw a few interesting plants, especially the Sacred Lotus. This is one of my favourite things to photograph in the Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo.

"The lotus was of great significance to many ancient cultures, and in particular to the Eastern religions. From ancestral times, the lotus regularly appears as a symbol of purity, peace, transcendence, enlightenment, rebirth, beauty, and fertility. In India, the lotus flower is considered to be of divine origin and is viewed as sacred by both Hindus and Buddhists. Buddha was said to sleep on a lotus six months of the year, and Shambala (Buddhist heaven) is sometimes represented as a field of flowering sacred lotuses." Taken from the first link below.

www.holisticaroma.co.uk/shp/TheSacredLotus.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelumbo_nucifera

"The pods/seed heads contain the Lotus seeds within little circular chambers on the flat surface of the top of the pod. These circles appeared to cradle the seeds, which are round, within the pod until fully ripe. Both the chamber of each seed and the seed itself get larger and larger until the pod bends over to finally release the seeds into the water."

www.flowersociety.org/lotus-plant-study.htm

"The Nariva Swamp is the largest freshwater wetland in Trinidad and Tobago and has been designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. The swamp is located on the east coast of Trinidad, immediately inland from the Manzanilla Bay through Biche and covers over 60 square kilometres (23 mi). The Nariva Swamp is extremely biodiverse. It is home to 45 mammal species, 39 reptile species, 33 fish species, 204 bird species, 19 frog species, 213 insect species and 15 mollusc species. All this contained in just 60 square kilometers.

The area provides important habitat for waterfowl and is key habitat for the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), caimans, anacondas, boa constrictors, red howler monkeys, white-fronted capuchin monkeys, numerous species of parrots, including both the blue-and-gold macaw and red-bellied macaws, as well as many wetland and savanna birds.

Four major wetland vegetation types occur in the Nariva Swamp - mangrove swamp forest, palm forest, swamp wood, and freshwater marsh." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nariva_Swamp

www.destinationtnt.com/nariva-swamp/