We took this picture of Douglas' Iris (Iris douglasiana) during a hike in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, in northern coastal California. Prairie Creek is managed cooperatively, along with Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and Redwood National Park, by the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. Thus, we generally refer to this area as Redwood National Park. This photo took quite awhile to get since I had to wait for small rays of sunlight to pass directly over the flower. This was an unforgettable day hike totaling some 14 miles, and passed through wonderful old growth forest. Along the way we saw tiger lilies, rhododendron, wood nymph, elk, mist shrouded redwood forest, immense, deserted, sandy beaches, and lots of water. This is one of my favorite California destinations, and every year it just gets better as more and more redwood habitat gets preserved by various organizations. Hopefully, in the not to distant future, redwood habitat will be managed as an ecosystem rather than as separate entities.

Douglas' Iris (Iris is Greek for "rainbow") generally bloom March-May; however, along the coast it can be a little later still. The flower stalk stands from 1' to 3' in height with the flowers themselves around 3-4" wide. Colors can range from white, to cream, to pink or even reddish-purple. It is always a pleasure to find and photograph.

I like this photo for the following reasons: 1) The crisp, white, unblemished flower and fine veination. 2) The soft greens and blacks of the background lend a tranquil quality to this shot. 3) The spider hanging out in the middle of the flower, which is sometimes overlooked. 4) The composition of the shot.

Note: Please do not attempt to dig up these little gems, as they are better left for future reproduction.

For general wildflower information try GardenWeb.com. Excellent resource.