Rising Flagge

by Connie Handscomb

Title

Rising Flagge

Artist

Connie Handscomb

Medium

Photograph - Photography - Fine Art

Description

Thou art the Iris, fair among the fairest,
Who, armed with golden rold,
And winged with the celestial azure, bearest
The message of some God.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* ---------------------*
Iris

Family = Iridaceae

"Iris", named after the Greek goddess Iris , means 'rainbow' ; wherever she went, a rainbow followed her.

'Flagge' is the Middle English word for reed ; hence the calling of these flowers 'flags'.

These showy blooms offer plenty of landing room for pollinators, with veins acting as guides on the landing strip. The leaves are vertical, grasslike, and assimilate light on both sides.

Iris has a long history as a medicinal herb. A powerful resin in the rhizome ['iris versicolor'] treats numerous ailments, incl heartburn and various stomach ailments, skin diseases, migraines. Iris was used as teething rings for infants, poultices for broken bones, and was even recommended for removing freckles. As a tea, it stimulates the circulatory and lymphatic system. The diuretic drug Iridin derives from the iris.

Native Americans tediously wove fibers from iris leaf edges to make strong rope, string, and netting.

Orris root [derived fr 'Iris florentina'] grown extensively on roofs in Normandy,
France, is dried and used in perfumery. 'I. tectorum', grown on roofs in Japan, is used to make face powder. Orris is also used in syrups and gin.

The Greek 'machaironion' iris root , ground with flour, made a pasta called : macaroni!

And finally: according to the Victorian language of flowers, when the fine art of expressing one's (often romantic) thoughts was presented in symbolic poesies of flowers, the iris meant Good News, a Message, Faith, and Hope.

Sources:
The Flower Healers [Barbara Olive]
The Secrets of Wildflowers [Jack Sanders]
Irises.. A Romantic History [Susan Berry]
A Flower Lover's Miscellany [D.Barraclough]
The Romantic Language Of Flowers [Davies;Saunders]
* ---------------------*
Early in February in a small park near our seawalk, I came upon the purple flagges, raising their velvety petals skyward to the sun. Their message to me was: Springtime has arrived!

Captured in natural light;uncropped;unedited ... nature in all its natural splendour.

* ---------------------*

♥ Heartfelt Gratitude to FAA groups for featuring this image :

Global Flowers Photography
Amazing Irises
The Colour Blue

Uploaded

March 12th, 2016

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