Ah, the story of the San Jose estuary is quite something, let me tell you! So, picture this: tons of water gushing down from the mountains, right into the estuary. What it did next was pretty amazing - it washed away a whopping 80 percent of these invasive water hyacinths. These plants, while annoyingly invasive, were actually quite a sight to behold.
Now, let's talk a bit about these hyacinths. They're not your average backyard plants. They're aquatic, perennial, and have this habit of spreading real fast. Picture stems that sprawl all over the place, thick and branched out like something out of a fantasy movie. And the flowers! They're something else, really. You'd typically see them in this stunning lavender to pink shade, although sometimes you might stumble upon a rare white one. Each plant could flaunt anywhere from one to 30 flowers. Imagine that!
And here's the kicker – we've got Norma to thank for this natural 'clean-up' act. She's the unsung hero in this tale. Because of this natural event, a lot of time, effort, and money was saved in trying to control these pretty but pesky plants. It's like Mother Nature herself pitched in to lend a hand!
