Color My World Blue
by Bruce Bley
Title
Color My World Blue
Artist
Bruce Bley
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This macro shot of a blue iris was taken from one of my flower beds last spring after a morning rain..
Iris is a genus of species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also very widely used as a common name for all Iris species, though some plants called thus belong to other closely related genera. A common name for some species is 'flags', while the plants of the subgenus Scorpiris are widely known as 'junos', particularly in horticulture. It is a popular garden flower.
Irises are perennial plants, growing from creeping rhizomes (rhizomatous irises) or, in drier climates, from bulbs (bulbous irises). They have long, erect flowering stems which may be simple or branched, solid or hollow, and flattened or have a circular cross-section. The rhizomatous species usually have 3�10 basal sword-shaped leaves growing in dense clumps. The bulbous species have cylindrical, basal leaves.
The inflorescences are fan-shaped and contain one or more symmetrical six-lobed flowers. These grow on a pedicel or lack a footstalk. The three sepals, which are spreading or droop downwards, are referred to as "falls". They expand from their narrow base, which in some of the rhizomatous irises has a "beard" (a tuft of short upright extensions growing in its midline), into a broader expanded portion ("limb"), often adorned with veining, lines or dots. The three, sometimes reduced, petals stand upright, partly behind the sepal bases. They are called "standards". Some smaller iris species have all six lobes pointing straight outwards, but generally limb and standards differ markedly in appearance. They are united at their base into a floral tube that lies above the ovary (known as an epigynous or inferior ovary). The styles divide towards the apex into petaloid branches; this is significant in pollination.
The iris flower is of interest as an example of the relation between flowering plants and pollinating insects. The shape of the flower and the position of the pollen-receiving and stigmatic surfaces on the outer petals form a landing-stage for a flying insect, which in probing for nectar, will first come into contact with the perianth, then with the stigmatic stamens in one whorled surface which is borne on an ovary formed of three carpels. The shelf-like transverse projection on the inner whorled underside of the stamens is beneath the overarching style arm below the stigma, so that the insect comes in contact with its pollen-covered surface only after passing the stigma; in backing out of the flower it will come in contact only with the non-receptive lower face of the stigma. Thus, an insect bearing pollen from one flower will, in entering a second, deposit the pollen on the stigma; in backing out of a flower, the pollen which it bears will not be rubbed off on the stigma of the same flower.
I hope you have enjoyed this photograph and will share it with others. You can see more of my work on my homepage in the various galleries I have created. Thank you for visiting and please come back.
Uploaded
April 6th, 2014
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Viewed 1,259 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/25/2024 at 3:38 PM
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Comments (48)
Jacqueline Athmann
Surprise & Congratulations!! Your photo has been featured on The Art Shoppe Cafe group homepage! Thank you for sharing your beautiful work with us! F/L
Bruce Bley replied:
Jacqueline. I am very grateful for the feature in the group "The Art Shoppe Café". Thank you for the honor.
Bruce Bley
ShitlaPrasad, Thank you for the feature in the group "1-2-3-4-5" I am very grateful for the honor.
Mary Myers
GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS That about says it all. I am a gardener and I would love to have this in my garden or on my wall. So perfect. So crisp. I love it. Thanks for sharing.
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you so much for the nice compliment, Mary. I am glad you enjoyed this photograph.
Joel E Blyler
Fantastic capture! Excellent work, Bruce! Love the softness and color of this beautiful Iris image! L/F
Celeste Manning
Wow! Gorgeous! l/f
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you so much for the nice comment and L, Celeste. I sincerely appreciate it.
Connie Handscomb
Oh .. what pretty jaws you have, Iris :))) {seriously, Bruce .. a super image, truly}