A treasure to behold in the Swan

Those of us lucky enough to live, work and play in the Swan Valley know what a special place it is. Pointing a finger at exactly what makes this place special, however, can sometimes be difficult. If you were to mill around the Mission Mountains Mercantile on a Saturday and ask tourists and locals alike, "What makes the Swan Valley so unique?" you'd likely hear answers such as "the stunning views," "diversity of wildlife" or "rural character."

While all of this is true, what you likely won't hear is that the Swan is home to one of the rarest aquatic plants in the world. Rare aquatic plants don...