Don't Worry, Echo Park's Lotuses Aren't Dead

Don't panic: the iconic lotus plants at Echo Park Lake that are looking brown and dead right now are just fine.

The lotus plants in the lake died off once before, but horticulturalist Randy McDonald, who had pilfered some trimmings in 2005, helped bring them back this summer after the city drained the lake.

Now McDonald is assuring us that these lotus plants are just fine. He told the Los Angeles Times, "The lotus are deciduous. They grow part of the year and the other part of the year they’re dormant .… The lotus are going to come back."

So it turns out that Los Angeles—despite its 80-degree Christmases—does have seasons.

Related:
Photos: Beautiful Echo Park Lake Is Back
How A Thief Saved Echo Park Lake's Lotus Bed From Extinction