Danube Water Lilies

Danube river springs from Black Forest (German: Schwarzwald) who is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is the second longest river and the only major European river to flow from West to East. It empties after 2850 km in the Black Sea on the Romanian coast. Along its way, the Danube flows through nine countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine. The total water area of the river is 817 000 km. When it runs into Black sea it divides into three branches – Kiliiski, Sulinski and Georgievski. The northern one – Kiliiski branch is the border between Russia and Romania. The middle branch – Sulinski is the deepest one.

The Danube is a home of many species of plant and animal life. Its basin is the longest marshland in Europe. It contains the greatest stretch of reedbeds in the world. In the delta, 1,700 sq. kilometers are covered with reedbeds. There are many different species of water lilies: the white water lily (Castalia alba), the yellow water lily (Nuphar luteum)

Sandy areas along the river are covered with a grass called Stippa. There are also many forests along the Danube. They all contain their own plant life as well. In the Letea Forest, there are dunes that are 250 meters wide and 10 meters long. There are trees coupled in with these dunes that reach the height of 35 meters.