Did you know that plants need oxygen to survive, just like you?
Although plants produce oxygen through photosynthesis, they also take in oxygen for respiration.
In waterlogged soils, plant roots can literally drown.
But many of these plants don’t mind having wet feet.
Some have hollowed stems that allow oxygen to reach their roots – yellow flag iris Iris pseudacorus is a beautiful example.
Others, like dwarf bulrush Typha minima, have roots that sprout off their underwater stems.
Water lilies Nymphaea and the rare Welsh wildflower water soldier Stratiotes aloides, are only visible for a few months in the summer – they have long stems that allow them to float on the surface of the water. They spend the rest of their lives on the bottom of the pond.
Plants on the pond edge can have large leaves as loss of moisture from the foliage is not a problem – notice the size of the leaves of kingcup Caltha palustris.