Neglected aquatic plants: Ranonculus from Swiss Alpin Lakes photographed by Nadia Zuodar
Freediving in pristine swiss alpine lakes such as Lac Tanay VS (http://www.lactaney.com/) is a priviledge. Even more so when discovering endangered aquatic plants such as Ranonculus, a humble flower that flourishes in the water, creating the mesmerizing atmosphere I was lucky to witness : tens of tiny flowers captured in bubbles of air and releasing them gracefully in the water up to the surface. I spent 3 hours watching the trouts elegantly swimming above this aquatic flower field. Ranonculus are seeing conservation projects in Switzerland and mostly seen in botanical parks and gardens where people make efforts to revive them. The subspecie I observed Ranunculus trichophyllus is thankfully not endangered but its cousin Ranunculus aquatis is and only survives in 3 localities in Switzerland as was confirmed by the expert. It is however not so common to witness R. trichophyllus flourish under water. No scent can be extracted from this flower but it is the calm atmosphere that inspires my perfume https://nadiaz.ch/product/symphonie-de-cologne-opus-i-unisex/
Here are some articles for your interest:
https://www.floravs.ch/assets/uploads/Batrachium_Bull.%20SVSN%202016.pdf
https://www.floravs.ch/fr/nouvelle-publication-statut-des-renoncules-aquatiques-de-suisse.html
https://www.letemps.ch/sciences/2017/07/12/jardins-refuges-plantes-voie-disparition
