I have posted nothing but lotus photos this year. You are probably getting tired of them. I wish I could post some nice lily photos, but my lilies have not been doing so hot this year - maybe partly because this Chawanbasu lotus has taken over part of the pond where I have most of my lilies. They are in separate pots, but the lotus leaves do cover up a lot of the lily pads.
By the way, the literal translation of 'Chawanbasu' from Japanese is 'bowl lotus.' I always thought it was because it was a small lotus that could be grown in a "bowl," but looking at these photos, now I think the cupped blossoms are sort of bowl-shaped, and that's how it got its name. Also, ever since this lotus jumped the small container I had it in and started growing at the bottom of my pond, I've realized that this is not a small lotus!