#not to be insane on main but i spend hours researching different breeds and variations of cows and their adaptions and uses and

[evolutionsvoid]

As a dryad, many other natural historians have turned to me when it comes to the study of my species. After all, what better person to ask questions or gain insight on these plant based beings than an actual dryad? To make me even more qualified, I have spent a good chunk of my own research studying them as well! I have made it a mission to visit a settlement or group of each variation (or subspecies) so that I can learn more about them and their daily habits. As a fellow sister, I am much more welcomed into these communities and have an easier time getting certain groups to open up about their culture. While this is good, I have definitely been accused of having a bias. "Of course the dryad has only good things to say about other dryads," I have heard, which is clearly not true. I have mentioned troubled parts of our history before, and have talked about some problems certain dryad variations have. I am not blind to the issues or bad things my kind has done, as ignoring such things would be detrimental to my own studies. Nonetheless, I still get the accusation that I have nothing but great things to say about dryad kind, and that I refuse to show any kind of criticism towards them (still not true). I do have problems with certain dryad cultures, like the Florals who take part in kidnapping and inbreeding, or the dryads who still demonize the Bloody Dryads and Amanitas. It doesn't even have to involve atrocities or lawbreaking! This entry here is a good example of that, because the Lily Dryads are a kind, harmless variation that I cannot stand to be around! Before I go any further, allow me to give more background on Lily Dryads. This variation of dryad is mainly aquatic, like the Kelp Dryads of the sea. They spend most of their lives in freshwater environments that have little to no water movement. These habitats include lakes, ponds and wetlands. The only time a Lily Dryad will leave the water is on the rare chance that their watery home is drying up and they need to slither to a new pond. This variation is also the smallest, with their main bodies only reaching three feet, while their long anchor root may grow over twice that size! The most notable thing about them is their large flat head flower that resembles a lily pad. This wide structure in tandem with their small body size allows them to float on the water's surface. While their head flower remains out of the water, the rest of their bodies are submerged below. When it comes to breathing, Lily Dryads are amphibious. They can easily breath on land or underwater, though they much prefer to remain in their ponds and lakes. 

When it comes to eating, Lily Dryads have it quite easy. With their head flowers above the water, they can absorb the sunlight for energy without having to put in any kind of work. For food beneath the surface, it is just as simple. Lily Dryads possess filters in the back of their throats that allow them to sieve the water they breath for nutrients. All one has to do is simply gulp up some water and their bellies will be full! To think if we could all get food that easy! Since Lily Dryads live an aquatic lifestyle, they don't exactly build villages or towns. Instead, these dryads float together in "swarms." When you spot one of these communities, they will just look like a mass of floating lily pads that keep close to one another despite the waves and wind. Often these "swarms" will hang out in the shallows, finding the waters warmer and the food growth more plentiful. In these areas, they will use their long anchor roots to grab the bottom so that the waves can't dislodge or scatter them. During harsh weather, they will travel out to the deeper areas of the water body, holding onto one another with their anchor roots and thin limbs. They retreat to the middle part of the pond or lake so that the waves can't smash them against the shore. They will also do this to avoid predation, in case a herbivore is stalking through the shallows. When cold weather comes in and winter rears its ugly head, Lily Dryads will collapse their head flowers and sink to the bottom. They will bury themselves in the mud and hibernate until warmer days return. Reproduction is also quite easy for Lily Dryads as well. Since they are restricted to one body of water, all their potential mates will often be floating in the same "swarm" they are. As a more laid back and carefree variation, Lily Dryads aren't all that picky when selecting mates. They don't do things like marriage or that sort, though they do have "best friends" but that title is given to anyone who talks to them. Rather, when breeding season comes around, Lily Dryads who wish to bear seed will simply pick which individual they want to pollinate with and that is that. I have literally seen a Lily Dryad float over to another and say "want to pollinate with me?" The other happily agreed, they did the deed and then they moved on with things. I think I have some exs who wished relationships were that simple (ZING)! Afterwords, the seed will be developed, regurgitated and buried within the mud. The breeding season of Lily Dryads is around the last few weeks of summer, so that the seed is created and planted just before winter. The sapling will grow as their parents hibernate, and will pop out when spring comes around. From there they will have a whole spring and summer to grow big and strong! By reading about their lifestyle, you can probably see that Lily Dryads have things quite easy. They feed themselves by breathing, their mates are practically their neighbors and they don't have to worry about things like shelter or hunting. With all these adaptations, they don't have to worry about a thing, at all. This allows them to live a care-free life, which leads to the reason why I cannot stand being around them. Lily Dryads are very joyful, happy-go-lucky creatures, which sounds pleasant, but it isn't. With no need to ever do anything, they don't really ever grow up. Though this doesn't apply to all Lily Dryads, most of them are quite childish and easily amused. The mere sight of a butterfly can get them chattering and giggling for hours. Oh goodness, the giggling! I had one Lily Dryad do that for hours on end! HOURS! They are impossible to talk to! They are always distracted by the simplest of things, they come up with the silliest ideas out of nowhere and they have an endless supply of whimsy! One time I was trying to ask them about migration to different ponds and one of them pointed out a necklace I was wearing that day. From that moment onward, conversation became impossible, as they kept commenting on my "pretty necklace" no matter how many times I tried to change the subject. Every time I tried to talk or come up with something new to discuss, they would just point out the piece of jewelry and start the whole ordeal over again! I wound up storming off and quitting for that day. The next day I waded into the pond, I smartly left my necklace at camp. I went in wearing the blandest stuff I had so that my apparel wouldn't distract them. That day wound up being a bust as well, as all the Lily Dryads kept asking where the "pretty necklace" went! It's insane! You can't get them to focus on a single thing! And that is not even including the utterly bizarre ideas or activities they come up with out of nowhere! I was interrupted one time because they got it into their heads that they wanted to learn how to whistle! It was stuff like this that made me quit even trying to research them, especially after that close call I had. It's crazy to think that I have been through so many dangerous and deadly scenarios, and yet have come out alive each time. I've been the prisoner/propaganda writer for a warlord, dealt with a severe case of salt poisoning, been chased by an angry Rock Dragon and so many other things! And to think that the one thing that would finally do me in is drowning in some pond because a swarm of Lily Dryads decided to drag me into a tickle fight. If I ever get the crazy idea to research them again, it is going to be done on dry land! Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian

#dryad #lilypad #monster #creature #art #drawing