Garden Flowers with the OHC - Our Iris Study

The Iris Study from the Spring Splendor series of Outdoor Hour Challenges made us look deeper into a garden flower we see every spring. According to the Handbook of Nature Study, the garden iris is "quite valuable for this lesson." We will be on the lookout for wild iris but for now we took a closer look at the garden iris.

Did you know that the word "iris" is Greek for rainbow?

 
We have been noticing the variety of colors and sizes of irises in our neighborhood this month. They started blooming earlier in May and now most are past prime but I tried to remember to take a few photos for our official study this week.


Hello in there! This is what the bees see as they fly in for some pollen....rubbing up against it with their backs. We marveled at the design and beauty of it all.

"The bee alights on the lip of the sepal, presses forward scraping her back against the down-hanging stigma, then scrapes along the open anther which lies along the roof of the tunnel. The tunnel leads to the nectar-wells at the very base of the sepal."
Handbook of Nature Study

This one is our favorite color combination...in my dad's front yard. He promised he would share a bulb with me for next year's garden. If you have a friend who will share bulbs, here is a video on How to Divide Iris Bulbs.


That looks easy enough to do and I know just where I will plant these beauties.



Another close up image for you to really see the parts and delicate details. These were actually right alongside our walking trail...not sure who would have planted them but they were very pretty to see with the sunset behind them.


Okay. Does this look like a Georgia O'Keeffe painting to you?

"In some varieties of iris there is a coating resembling plush on the style which forms the floor of the tunnel. Through a lens this plush is exquisite-the nap of white filaments standing up tipped with brilliant yellow. Various theories as to the use of this plush have been advanced , a plausible one being that it is to keep the ants out, but the ants could easily pass along either side of it."
Handbook of Nature Study

We were not able to observe any insects in our irises but you can be sure we are going to keep our eyes out next year when they are blooming. In the meantime, I am going to try to draw an iris in my nature journal using watercolor pencils.

Mr. B used the link in the original challenge to look up the Pollinator Partnership. We came up with this list of flowers to add to our garden to encourage bees to visit. I know that the Native Plant Society has a plant sale periodically in our area and I bet we could try there for some natives to add to the garden.

• Blue elderberry
• Showy milkweed (we have tried this in the past and not been successful)
• California goldenrod
• Western blue flag

We already have quite a few of the plants suggested on the Pollinator Partnership list and hundreds of bees to observe. There is always room for more.


Just a few reminders to participants of the Outdoor Hour Challenge. There will be no challenge posted this week...the next one will be on June 8, 2012 with the start of the Summer Sizzle series of challenges.

Don't forget to send in your May blog entries to the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival by Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

The latest edition of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Newsletter will publish on Friday, June 1, 2012. You must be subscribed to the blog in order to receive the download link. It is a beautiful and informative edition that I know you are going to want to have in your collection. You can subscribe on the sidebar of my blog. 






Jami's Tuesday Garden Party meme is open from Tuesday to Thursday so there is still time for you to jump in and participate!

OHC More Nature Study Book 3 - Iris Study

It hardly seems possible that this is the last challenge from the More Nature Study Book 3 Spring Splendor series! This season has gone by so very fast. Let's all make an effort to get outside this week and view some garden flowers whether they are in our own backyard, at a near-by park, or at a garden nursery. Take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy this last spring challenge outdoors with your family...fifteen minutes can be squeezed in first thing in the morning or right after lunch if that works for your schedule.

Thank you so much to all the participants who have shared their outdoor adventures this season through the links of the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. Keep sending in your entries! We will be taking a little break from the challenges until June 8, 2012 and then we will start our Summer Sizzle series of challenges at that time. The new ebook is available and ready for you to download in preparation for a summer of enriching nature study. I hope to see some summertime entries from all the OHC families!


More Nature Study Book 3
Garden Flower - Blue Flag Iris

“Each iris flower has three side doors leading to the nectar wells; and the bees, in order to get the nectar, must brush off the pollen dust on their backs” Handbook of Nature Study

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read Lesson 157 in the Handbook of Nature Study (pages 571-574). View the diagram on page 573 showing the parts of the iris labeled. 
• View these YouTube videos: Blue Flag and Iris and Bee. 
• Advanced Study: You can determine what kind of native irises you have in your area by viewing the maps at the bottom of this page: USDA Iris.

Outdoor Hour Time:

• This lesson is valuable for learning about wild irises and garden irises as well. Take your outdoor time for this challenge and view an iris if possible. The lesson also suggests that observations of the flower can take place inside but the viewing of the bee visiting the iris is the most interesting way to learn about this flower. You may need to file this study away until you can visit an iris in person. 
• Alternate activity: Spend time watching insects and flowers in your garden or at a near-by park. Use the information about the iris and the information you learned in the Poppy-Buttercup Challenge to make comparisons between flowers. Remember to use proper flower part vocabulary in your conversation. Ebook Users: You can use the Spring Flower notebook page if you would like as part of this challenge. 
• Watch any pollinators in your yard and observe their behavior.

Follow-Up Activity:

• Allow time for a nature journal entry where your child can sketch and record their iris study or complete a coloring page. This site may be helpful in carefully drawing the iris and labeling its parts: The Iris Flower (USDA). Advanced Study: Use colored pencils and draw your iris in your nature journal (see an example HERE). How about a video?
•  Discuss any pollinators you viewed as part of this challenge and record any interesting thoughts in your nature journal. See the list of questions above. 
•  Advanced Study: If you live in the United States, you can use this website to determine what plants and pollinators you have in your neighborhood: Pollinator Partnership. View your guide to determine five plants that you can add to your garden to encourage pollinators to visit. If you already have native plants, make a list of them in your nature journal. Alternate activity: Record information in your nature journal for one native iris to your area.

Additional Activities:
Great Sunflower Project: If you enjoy watching bees visit your garden flowers, you may be interested in participating in this citizen science project. It is simple enough for even very young children to get involved with and it doesn’t take a lot of time. Click over to their website to learn more.

Blue Iris Time Lapse video (for fun).



Don't forget to share your Spring Splendor Walk blog entries with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival. All entries done in May are eligible for the next edition. The deadline for entries is 5/30/12 and you can send them directly to me: harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com.