On a hot summer morning, I drove up to Surrey Lake to paddle the shoreline.    In the shallow bays were many yellow water lilies (Nuphar polysepatum sp.) in bloom.

Along the marshy shorelines white bog orchids (Planthera dilitata sp.) were in bloom.   As I approached them, the fragrant flowers could be scented from 15 feet away.

In shallow bays bur-reed (Sparganium sp. ) was flowering, rising on stems from a buried rhizome.   Flowers can be either male or female.   For much of the growth cycle the leaves are floating, pointing to whichever way the wind is blowing.   In summer when the stalks rise above the water, more robust strap-like leaves are visible above water.

There were swaths of bur-reed in shallow bays.

In a shallow bay, a single bladderwort (Utricularia sp.) was in bloom.   It is a carniverous plant, trapping insects as a food source.

Sedges (Carex sp.) were growing along the margins of the lake, with the rhizomes in the wet mud.

Plants that flower in the lake mostly do so in the summer.    Soon we will see smartweed, water buttercup, and others, mostly in shallow bays in quiet lakes.