I was very anxious about my pretty purple water irises this year. The leaves looked yellow and dying, with no budding flowers. I'd already had bad luck with the yellow flag irises I'd transplanted from the wild a couple of years ago, They grow wild in every muddy ditch, but I'd managed to kill them in my backyard pond.
I'd Bucketed last year on May 2nd, lamenting the lack of iris blooms, but they showed a week or two later. This time, I feared I'd neglected them too long; not splitting them or adding fertilizer. But then came a sunny day, and ...
The Backyard Science group regularly publishes The Daily Bucket, which features observations of the world around us. What's in your backyard? Funny insects, unusual birds, pretty flowers, healthy vegetables, or shy snakes?
Any of these and much more are worthy additions to the Bucket and its comments. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment, and provide a picture if you can. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to as we try to understand the patterns that are unwinding around us.
So they teased me again, and surprised me again, pleasantly. And now I am afraid to do anything to upset their production. I really should split them this fall.
I'd originally grouped the water irises into a shallow plastic pan, 3 foot by 1.5 foot and six inches deep. I set the pan on bricks in the pond, so it was below the pond surface and the fish could swim in and out. At the rate I hear fish in there "splashing," I think it is a popular dating spot.
The heron finds it very interesting also. Any fish in there are essentially trapped in shallow water.
Frogs seem to like it too; the shallow water may be a little warmer than the main pond. Thanks for reading, and I'll respond to comments after lunch PDT.
Now It's Your Turn What's interesting to you? Please post your own observations and your general location in the comments.
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" will be posted every Saturday at 1pm and Wednesday at 3:30 pm Pacific Time on the Daily Kos front page. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.