Tomorrow is National Koi Day!

Yes, tomorrow - July 7th - is National Koi Day. I did not know there was such a thing as a "National Koi Day", but whenever my husband and I take our youngest grand to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, he is always SO happy when he is able to see the Koi swimming in the pond at the Large Waterfall! So, I thought it might be fun to learn a few things about Koi - and share them with you!

• Koi, or more precisely Nishikigoi, is a colorful variety of Amur carp, which is bred in open water from koi or water gardens for decorative purposes.
• There are many varieties of ornamental koi, which originated from the breeding that began in Niigata, Japan, in the early 19th century. 
• Carp are cold-water fish, and their ability to survive and adapt to many climatic and aquatic conditions has allowed domesticated species to breed in many new locations, including Japan.
• It was first bred for color mutation in China more than a thousand years ago, where selective breeding of colored varieties led to the development of goldfish.
• The Japanese recognize several species with differing colors, patterns, and scales. Some basic colors are white, black, red, orange, yellow, blue, brown, and cream. 
• Koi fish are rich in symbolism, representing good fortune, prosperity, perseverance, and strength in adversity. Their ability to swim upstream against currents makes them powerful metaphors for overcoming challenges in life.
• While both are domesticated carp, Koi are typically much larger, can live longer, and are characterized by barbels (whiskers) around their mouths, which goldfish lack. Koi also have a more elongated body shape compared to the generally rounder goldfish.
• There are three main types of carp It is a common carp, mirror carp, and leather carp.
• The carp usually has two whiskers on each side of the mouth, a toothless mouth, and a larger upper lip than the lower.

You will learn more about Koi and National Koi Day at this link. If you do not have your own Koi, consider visiting somewhere - such as Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park to enjoy viewing Koi on National koi Day - or any day! (The photo above of Koi was taken by my husband at Meijer Garden!)