Speaking of the Water Hyacinth's, I thought it would be a good idea to show an example of when and from where, and how this exotic water weed came to Florida.
At the Cotton States Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana, 1884, the lavender flowers of the water hyacinths were given away as souvenirs. Having been imported especially for the fair from the Orinoco River in Venezuela, by a group of exhibitors traveling through South America, who thought the plants were beautiful.
When the souvenirs were disposed of, many found their way into streams and rivers, and canals. Hyacinths which grow at a amazing rate, a few plants can reproduce and cover an acre of water densely in eight months or less.
The plants spread from Louisiana, through Texas and Florida, and by 1905, there was a 100 mile long hyacinth growth spread from the Exhibition site in New Orleans.
Hyacinths are an exotic plant and considered a major problem in southern waters, and yet they are an integral part of the environment of many southern swamps. In Mississippi, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, found that the hyacinths play a great role in recycling and purifying sewage. And NASA, also found hyacinths can be used for cattle feed, as well as, for the manufacture of natural gas, for a city of 30,000 people.
