This old photo from the archives of the Missouri Botanical Garden depicted a young woman playing a violin while standing on a water lily. Photographers of that era were capable of image manipulation, and its possible a support was placed under the lily pad. But a recent project conducted by horticulturalists around the country demonstrated that the event was probably real.
Botanical gardens across the world competed in a friendly fashion to see how much weight a giant Victoria water lily pad could support.
Horticulturists in Denver then tallied the results and awarded first place to the five-foot Missouri water lily, which took on water once it shouldered 142.1 pounds. Second place went to a Victoria lily at the Naples Botanical Garden in Florida for holding 135 pounds, while the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh took third place honors with a water lily that held 105.8 pounds.
The result would not come as a surprise to a jacana.
And yet, also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqkM3V9K6zg
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