Blue Flag Irises
Here’s another flower that Sam and I found on the beaver dam flats on June 29, 2025. These are Blue Flag Irises, Iris_versicolor, and they are quite a common native wetland plant throughout Michigan. In fact, this is not the first time I’ve posted them, the previous time was almost nine years ago (although that one wasn’t particularly near our property)
Blue flag irises grow in clumps that are about knee-high to me. They like wet soil, but clearly don’t need to be actually submerged.
They vary a bit in coloration, these seem to be a bit darker blue than the ones I posted previously.
These plants are unusual in that, in spite of being very pretty flowers, they also appear to compete quite well with other wetland plants, including the invasive ones. That’s probably at least partly due to their rhizomes being toxic, so nothing much eats them. They seem to be doing fine around here for sure, and I believe they are common throughout the state.