Google maps is the official supplier of photos of amazing places on our planet. It was with his help that an unusual round lake was discovered in the vicinity of Buenos Aires. Observers were interested not only in the correct shape of the lake lurking at the mouth of the Parana River. More attention was drawn to a large green island, which drifts in the center of the lake and repeats the rounded outlines of the lake shores in its shape. The island moving on the water resembles the movement of the pupil, therefore the lake was dubbed the Eye. Fans of mysticism immediately put forward the assumption about the alien origin of the natural object. But everything turned out to be much more mundane.
The island of Lake Oko was formed by the excellent eichornia plant, or water hyacinth. Thanks to the porous fabric at the base of the eichornia leaf, it floats perfectly. Growing rapidly, water hyacinth covers the surface of reservoirs with a dense carpet. The plant is a problem: firstly, the dense layer of eichornia worsens the oxygen regime of the reservoir, which leads to the death of its inhabitants, and secondly, it complicates navigation. The process of overgrowing a reservoir can last from several tens to several hundred years. And it is quite possible that very soon the found Lake Oko will be completely overgrown with a green carpet. Such floating islands are not uncommon in our country. They are called rafts or zybuns.