The balls.

Little white flowers.

Looks like Sagittaria latifolia.

Rhonda

Thanks, that seems to fit. Glad there's another native out there doing battle at the pond.

And I had no idea there was a "water plantain" family.

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA plant profile

Nice photos, purpleinopp. You have about 9 species of Sagittaria in Alabama (per BONAP maps), with about half of those with sagittate leaves. They often come down to flower characteristics to determine ID. I have a problem getting close enough to ours for good photos, because they tend to grow where the cottonmouths roam. If you're looking for a challenge, the Flora of North America key may be interesting. Each species there is a clickable link to detailed plant descriptions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arrowhead

Thanks! I don't know plant anatomy words well enough to bother, but had no idea these plants were around at all. That's good enough for me. You're right about snakes, I was looking for them while wildflower'ing out there.