March Madness Part 2 - Iris and Brown Thrashers

March is the season for "Praire Iris," or "Dixie Iris," Iris hexagona, to bloom, but we went 3 years without any of these ephemeral beauties because the winters were so warm, even hot.  December of 2017 was cool, as was January of 2018. February got warm again, so even though early March reverted to more seasonal coolness, it didn't seem like we were going to get any flowers this year either, but in late March I was surprised by a few blooms. I just about  decided to take most of the iris  out, and put something else in my bog garden, a heavy-duty plastic mortar mixing tray I bought from Home Depot, when I saw that buds were forming.

Iris hexagona - Jeanette Lee Atkinson

Iris hexagona is one of our most beautiful wildflowers. Even though it has a fairly short blooming season, its erect, fan-shaped foliage stays attractive all year, and after nearly 20 years in our yard has not shown any insect or disease problems. Each flower lasts only one day, but most stalks will produce 2 or even 3 flowers in succession. They don't like full South Florida sun, and they do need moisture. There is a clump of these iris in the front  yard near the swale, where it stays a bit more moist than other areas, but in a very dry winter there aren't many blooms. One street away homeowners planted a big clump right in the deepest part of the swale, and they are flourishing, though I don't know whether they produced any flowers this year. This species occurs throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas, according to the USDA Plant Database.

Iris hexagona - Jeanette Lee Atkinson

It always has seemed odd to me that these delicate flowers open during one of the windiest times of the year, and sometimes get completely dried out and wilted before noon, especially since they aren't wind-pollinated. Big black bumblebees really love them, and practically disappear between the standard and the fall. Skippers, like the one in my photo below, are experts at stealing nectar without doing any pollinating in return.

 Even though the bumblebees and other insects are diligent, my iris set seed only now and then. The dried seed pods are rather decorative and fun to draw.

Dried Seed Pod
Graphite & Colored Pencil

Early this March a pair of brown thrashers moved into our yard. We have lived here since 1994 and never seen a brown thrasher. In fact, I am not sure I have seen one since we left Georgia in 1990! I am delighted to see them, and hope they have not been pushed out of more suitable habitat. So far they  seem to be coexisting peaceably with the mockingbirds - something I don't think any other bird has accomplished. Just like the books say, they repeat their phrases only twice, whereas the mockingbirds will go on as long as they like. They spend a lot of time on the ground, vigorously digging through the mulch - in fact they make quite deep holes - 3 inches deep or more. I won't see them for a few days, and think they've flown on, but then they will reappear. They may be nesting now - I hope so! - and that may be one reason they're being secretive.

I have just started trying to sketch birds, and this attempt is pretty pathetic. At  least it's a beginning. I bought John Muir Laws's excellent book The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds, and am working my way through it when I can grab a moment. These sketches by no means should be taken as a reflection on the merits of the book! Laws  has an excellent website/blog, with lots of instructional and inspiring videos. It's one of my favorites.

I haven't begun to cover all the events that started unfolding in the yard this March, but it's already mid-April, so it's time to move on.