A work of art

Iris missourienses, June 16, 2022

I. missouriensis, Twin Lakes area, 9,400’ June 17, 2022

I. missouriensis, roadside 10,400’, July 12, 2022

Common & scientific name
Rocky Mountain iris, Iris missouriensis

Family
Iris, Iridaceae

Location
Grottos, 9,500’

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact

More modest in size and coloring than its cultivated brethren, but always a thrill to find in the wild (and to this observer’s eye, more beautiful in its delicacy), this wild iris thrives in wet areas like Twin Lakes meadow and the Grottos.

I. missouriensis, roadside 10,400’, July 12, 2022

I. missouriensis seedpods, Twin Lakes, 9,200’, August 17, 2022