Iris in bloom in February!

Last week we were hiking and saw our first iris in bloom in 2017 in Florida.  You will notice that the stalk has 3 bud positions, the terminal is in full bloom and the lower positions show blooms in progressive stages of deterioration.  Not bad for a wild iris!  The plant carpeting the background is water lettuce, a floating aquatic plant, which is still green even though the retention pond is almost dry because of the drought we are experiencing.

An added bonus for the day was seeing a Roseate Spoonbill on the edge of a nearby pond.  They are beautiful in flight against a blue sky.