Rocky Mountain Iris, Coconino Plateau, Arizona
This photo is available as:
- a Stock Image
Late spring and early summer in the northern Arizona mountains brings the blooming of the Rocky Mountain Iris (Iris missouriensis). This tall and graceful wildflower grows in wet mountain habitats, such as along streams and springs and the wetter areas of pastures and meadows.
The large, gracefully arcing flower petals are blue to violet to almost white in some individuals. The purple veins and central orange-yellow stripe pour out and downward on the petals. The narrow, sword-shaped leaves growing upward from the base of the plant are said to have once been used to make cordage from their fibers.
Photo location: Pittman Valley, Coconino Plateau, near Williams, Arizona.
