Today we found flower buds on our neighbor’s Dwarf Iris plants:
Iris plants grow either from underground stems, called “rhizomes,” or from bulbs. Erosion has exposed the rhizomes from which these Dwarf Iris grew:
As we’ve found many times this spring, these first buds and flowers were on plants with southern exposure. The first Trout Lily buds appeared on a south-facing slope near Columbus Park lagoon, and the first Iris buds were on the south side of a parkway tree.
We should have photos of the flowers soon, since temperatures may reach seventy later this week.
Note added the next day: At least one Dwarf Iris had bloomed by the next morning. Go here to see photos of the flower.