This isn’t so much a blog as a visual essay. My walk a couple of week's ago included spotting two Muntjac deer, a little egret flying overhead and a pair of reed warblers, but the star, or stars of the show, were the bright yellow irises that seemed to be everywhere.
They were on the islands in the lake, on the riverbank and even the side of the path.
I saw them in small bunches and huge swathes covering the whole of one side of an island.
Some were still in bud, others fully opened, the bright yellow petals contrasting with the deep dark green of the leaves and the blue of the lake.
Perhaps what made them even more striking was that this morning, after two glorious days of sunshine, it was dull and grey and a light but steady rain started to fall. Their brightness and beautiful intricate forms lifted my mood and helped me ignore the raindrops falling on my head. I hadn’t brought anything waterproof, foolishly believing the weather forecast, but I did have this natural alternative to bright sunshine to enjoy.
So, when reviewing my photos, I wasn’t too surprised to see the majority featured the irises of the lake in some way or other.
Footnote: Having now quickly done a search I discovered they are Iris pseudacorus, also known as yellow flag, yellow iris, or water flag and though it means little to me, it is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is sometimes called a bog plant but is widely planted as an ornamental plant. It is native to Europe, Western Asia and Northwest Africa.
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