Rocky Shoals Spider lilies

I had seen a few posts from the South Carolina State Parks for Landsford Canal State Park where they stated the rare Rocky Shoals Spider lilies were in full bloom.  I have been to the park to see these flowers several years...sometimes we waited too late, sometimes it rained too much or various other reasons that we did not see many blooms.

Today my friend Risee and I  were amazed at the thousands of white lilies growing on rocks in the Catawba River at the park.   Usually we would need a large zoom lens or binoculars (or a kayak!) to get close ups of the flowers.    Not so today as the flowers were close to the viewing platform.    

These lilies grow on loose soil on rocks in clear water and are only found in South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama rivers.    There are a few places on the Broad River at Columbia where we have seen them growing but never in the abundance here.

We were some really happy girls!     

We stopped to talk to another photographer who had a newer model Canon camera.  Now I have new camera-itis!