What the Heck Is This?

The photographer duo who took this image ask: "Is it molten lava from an erupting volcano or a tie-die pattern from a 1960’s T-shirt?"

No, not so easy as that. Got any ideas?

See the full size image and explanation below.

It's a variegated water lily leaf floating on a lily pond at the Mission San Juan de Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California. 

"The water lily family, Nymphaeaceae, is an ancient family with remains having been found in European pre-Ice Age stratas," explain the photographers, Linda and Dr. Dick Buscher. "Europeans first discovered the beautiful plants in the deep, wide lagoons of South American jungles early in the last century.  Water lilies have now spread around the world, adding beauty to both natural and man-made ponds."

Water lillies on a pond at the Mission San Juan de Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California. (Image credit: Linda and Dr. Dick Buscher)

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Robert Roy Britt

Robert is an independent health and science journalist and writer based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is a former editor-in-chief of Live Science with over 20 years of experience as a reporter and editor. He has worked on websites such as Space.com and Tom's Guide, and is a contributor on Medium, covering how we age and how to optimize the mind and body through time. He has a journalism degree from Humboldt State University in California.