We have reached the letter I, and I hope everyone is enjoying my little natural ABC book?

When we talk about words that begin with the letter I, Iris always come to mind.  I guess that is because I have tons of Irises blooming in a myriad of colors all around my yard.  When most people think of irises, they think of purple colors, but that is far from the limit of this beautiful flower.  The flower itself consists of standards and falls.  The standards are the parts of the iris flower that stand up and the falls are the parts that droop down.

In addition, Irises come in multi colors and patterns too!  Some color combinations follow:

Amoena – white standards and colored falls

Bicolor – standards are different color from the falls

Bitone – standards and falls are different shades of the same color

Blend – combination of two or more colors

Broken – irregular slashing with one or more colors

Plicata – marked with stitching, rims, or dotting

Self – standards and falls are the same color

Variegata – falls are yellow, standards are brown or purple

Iris is such a cool looking flower that it has been used in coats of arms and decorations for centuries.  (Fleur de lis)

I think that iris is a fitting example of the letter I…so I is for Iris.