Iris reticulata
Emphatically not a native flower -actually it is native to Russia, the Caucasus, and northern Iran, but cultivated widely in temperate regions. Earns its keep here as one of the first flowers to emerge when the snows leave.
Very hard to photograph – in reality it is really a deep purple but auto white-balance tends to put it in the blue end of the spectrum. One spring I will manage to find the photo-tweak that solves this problem. It’s really the only plant I photograph that changes like this.
EXIF data (featured photo)
Crocus
Over the years many crocuses have been planted here and the squirrels have dug them up and replanted them in some cases … at this early stage, apart from a couple of white ones, everything that is coming up are deep purple ones, but in profusion. Here as a backdrop to an Iris.
EXIF data (Crocus + Iris)
… and the Rabbit
Yes, the grass after three-plus months of snow cover really is this colour … but the resident rabbit doesn’t seem to mind. We are happy he likes it as it takes his mind off the attractions of eating bark off our trees – this winter he ring-barked and killed a young Malus (crab apple) tree. At least, we assume it was the rabbit as has done this before but the bark damage was above the spiral trunk protector so it could have been a squirrel, or who knows what? Either way, that tree is moribund.
PS: Are you a Birder too … ?
You might enjoy reading this article if you like birding as well as gardening:
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