Yellow Flags

I'm sort of teasing readers this week -- I made a mention of visiting Meridian Hill Park and have yet to share photos yet.  I haven't had a chance to really read up on the history of the park, but hope to have a post for that by Friday.

 

In the meantime, here's a glimpse of the water feature that is the key part of the park's design and, flanking the goblin's face, Iris pseudacorus or yellow flag iris.  Below, note how short the standards (upright petals) are, compared to the falls (the lower petals).

Yellow flags are European plants and are quite invasive in the United States -- they are very tough plants and are even used for treatment of sewage and for removing heavy metals from contaminated sites.  That said, in a site like this, it's a shame a native aquatic iris, such as Iris versicolor (purple flag iris) couldn't have been used.