As with most genuinely wild Water Lilies these plants are tantalisingly too far away to get a decent photograph. In addition this one is famous for the flowers hardly ever opening.

However, on what turned out to be a reasonable day, we managed to see a few flowers which appeared to have just about opened. N. pumila was flourishing amongst other shallow fresh water plants such as Equisetum fluviatile (Water Horsetail) and Potamogeton natans (Broad-leaved Pondweed).

Although very occasionally recorded from England and Wales where it has probably been introduced, this plant has its home in mid (above the industrial Glasgow-Edinburgh belt) to northern Scotland. Ignoring those odd records it is only really found in Scotland.

Lochan Ovie, south of Newtonmore, Scotland 26th July 2009

Added on 3rd October 2009, updated 14th January 2011, updated 25th December 2013