Standing on a water lily

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.