Photo by Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. 1995. Northeast wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. Northeast National Technical Center, Chester, PA.

Wild Blue Flag Iris

Look for wild Blue Flag Iris in swamps, ditches and along railroad rights-of-way in low lying floodplains. Just one of about eighteen North American species (depending on who does the counting) this is probably our area's most common Iris species.

Unlike our garden variety Iris which hails from Eurasia our native irises are "beardless" - ie they lack the downy coating (the beard) seen on the falls (the lower flower petals) of their Eurasian cousins.

Photos by Ruby Jung. All rights reserved.

Offsite Links:

• Iris virginica page

Suggest a link! Send suggestions to Webmaster