Flag

With the whole country going Jubilee crazy this weekend, there are flags appearing all over the place.  Attached to cars, house-fronts, garden fences, etc.  So, with all this flag-waving in mind, I thought "if you can't beat them, join them."
Our walk this morning took us around the local farmland and a short part of the old Nutbrook Canal and it was the canal which gave us the Flags.  Yellow Flags to be specific.

Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) is a common, waterside plant in Britain and at this time of year they add colour to our wetlands almost all over the country.

The scientific name 'pseudacorus' relates to the 'flag' bit of the common name.  There is a reed-like plant which grows in much the same environment as the Iris, called the Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus) and although not related to it, the Iris has been given the scientific name meaning 'false acorus'.  Where the name comes from is of secondary importance when faced with the beauty of such a wonderful flower.  This is one flag which should be fluttering all over the country this Jubilee Weekend.  Certainly, the rather out-of-focus Bee in his picture thought so...