BLUE FLAG; IRIS. 



Just the thought of Iris always 

 recalls pleasant pictures to the mind, 

 visions of a pond with its unruffled 

 mirroring surface; the blackbirds 

 that protest so vigorously when you 

 are near their basket-like nests hang- 

 ing just over the water; the frogs 

 that dive with a great splash into its 

 bosom as we tread the edges ; the 

 turtles which are lazily sunning 

 themselves on an old stump ; the 

 heron that starts up with a single 

 shi.'-jk of warning and slowly flaps 

 away to more remote fishing grounds ; 

 the rattle of the kingfisher which you 

 have disturbed perhaps just as he 



was about to pounce upon a fish to carry to his clamoring 

 young in yonder bank; the swaying rushes and cat-tails 

 sheltering the noisy and boisterous Marsh Wren ; the dragon- 

 flies that go darting hither and yon hawking after the many 

 species of insects that are to be found over still water ; and 

 the great clumps of Blue Flags that add a touch of bright 

 color and cheer to the whole picture. 



We are accustomed to think of the petals as the most 

 attractive part of a flower, but in this case it is the sepals 

 that are enlarged., bright colored and attract our attention. 

 The name Iris, which is quite appropriate, is from the Greek 

 meaning rainbow and surely the coloring of the sepals on 

 this species may readily suggest the rainbow. The flowers 

 are so constructed that fertilization from their own pollen 

 is impossible, the anthers being located under and below the 

 stigmas which are at the end of the petal-like division of 

 the style. It is a well established fact that certain insects 

 are most strongly attracted by certain colors and the blues 

 and purples are favorites of honey bees. It is these bees 

 that visit the Iris and are the chief agents of its fertilization. 



