Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata)
These are common in my woods. Our property is almost 4 acres and more than 3/4 of it is a wooded hillside. This plant blankets the understory in two places on the back slope. Further down the hillside on my neighbors property there is a huge mass maybe 50ft x 50ft, one of our patches are like 15ft x 20ft Thought we loose a good part of it when we had the septic field moved into the woods to make room for the addition I built. Yes the patches are smaller but also there in more light for them now. The native red Carolina Honeysuckle is abundant there also, but it does not get enough light to flower usually, maybe now it will, time will tell. We found 2 morel mushrooms with them last year!
One thing about this flower if you don't catch it in bloom, the flowering lasts 2-3 tops, you'll be waiting until next season to see them.
Hoping to find hundreds of Trout Lilies in the next few days or a week not far from these plants. This is one of the reasons I moved here the wild flowers. The Duke Natural History Group came here on a field trip I provided and I just could get them to move out from my woods...
These were tripod shots taken about 100 ft from where I'm typing right now.
Soon I'll have more on our garden, it is 22 degrees this morning and we are hoping that the baby plants handle it ok.
I love these irises! Just planted some last year and so hope they do well. Can't wait to see the trout lilies.
ReplyDeleteI came to your blog via another,and I love your photos!
ReplyDeleteHi Randy, what a fabulous place you live in, lots of land and wildflowers sounds like heaven. We are zone 7 in the foothills of southeast TN, close to GA and the mountain border of NC. We live in town, so our terrain is idfferent but the plant species are similar. I look forward to seeing more of your gardens.
ReplyDeleteFrances
Good morning- what a great picture to start my day. Thank you! You have quite the knack with your photos. Is most of your property wooded? Sounds so nice to have some planting variety.
ReplyDelete-Heather
So pretty!
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty little irises.
ReplyDeleteI love trout lilies, though it's way too early for them here in SE Michigan. If you're interested in what wildflowers we get, check out my entry from last May.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that you have these beautiful blooms in your woods. Your property sounds like a piece of paradise!
ReplyDeleteThese are absolutely gorgeous. I would take a vase with one of these vs. a bouquet of irises any day. I'm jealous!!
ReplyDeleteYou are way ahead of us up here in the midwest... but, time flies and we'll see the spring beauties, trout lilies, etc., before you know it!
ReplyDeleteI don't know that these iris are native here (there are native varieties), but they surely are beautiful! I've planted some great early iris (but they were bulbs). hmmm.
We brought a couple of these back from Arkansas a few years ago when we visited friends there. I love it when they come up in the spring, in all their delicate loveliness, and they remind me of our wonderful trip there.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until spring makes it to northwest Ohio!