There are many species of Iris, an in the Water Iris area, again a lot of different species. For this blog post I am looking at the one that I see the most around Ponds/Lakes local to me which is the Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus).
As you can see from the picture, it is growing in abundance at the local Pond/Lake.
This is a herbaceous, perennial plant which flowers with a bright yellow flowers (up to 10cm in width) in the Spring. An Iris can grow between 100cm and 150cm tall and grows from a rhizome (root that runs horizontally in the ground). Due to the rhizome the Yellow Flag Iris can spread quickly along a bank of a pond/lake.
Once the flowers die away, they reveal a seed pod which can produce water-dispersed seeds which also allow the plant to spread.
It thrives in wetlands and banks along water.
If you keep one of these in your own pond you should repot or thin out every 2-3 years due to its growth spread.
The thick Iris provides a great habitat for insects, arachnids, dragon flies etc that live near to and along the waters edge.
At this time of year its great to see the banks thrive with the yellow colours provided by the Iris and thrive with wildlife that make it home.
Sparrowhawk Bushcraft 
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