Farmers collecting the water lilies in the Satla marshland near Barishal, Bangladesh. Here farmers collected water lilies using boats over flooded land designated to grow the crop. Waterlilies grow abundantly in the village which is situated 40 miles from the city of Barisal, Bangladesh. It is known as the capital of water lilies or Shapla, the national flower of Bangladesh. The whole village is engaged in the cultivation of the flower. The workers start very early in the morning at 6am and work through the day. "Every flower is carefully hand picked and collected inside the farmers' little wooden boat. The water lilies from a 10,000 acre canal and wetlands area. Growing and harvesting the lilies is a community effort, and farmers sell the flowers in local markets. They are not just bought for their looks, they're also valued in traditional Ayurvedic therapies for their medicinal properties. And it is widely used as a vegetable.