The yellow iris, or flag, loves damp places like riverbanks and marshes. It mingles amongst the reeds and water grasses. This year ours has been late flowering and is now dwarfed by the grass, but as always, worth waiting for. Easy to spot before it flowers, its slender leaves are a bluer shade than the water grasses.
Why is the iris also known as flag? There are two stories. One is that the yellow flowers on their tall stems look like flags waving in the wind. The other is that the word flagge in middle English means rush or reed. The three petals represent wisdom, faith and courage.