Iris missouriensis, June 8, 2020
Irises abound at Twin Lakes, June 8, 2020
Common & scientific name
Rocky Mountain iris, Iris missouriensis
Family
Iris, Iridaceae
Location
Twin Lakes meadow, 9,700’
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 areas that are extremely wet before flowering and then almost desert-like the rest of the summer (like the large meadow adjacent to Twin Lakes’ western-most lake, left, or the meadow above MM 54 on the west side of the Pass, below).
I. missouriensis, July 7, 2020