Iris of the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
Photographed by Ken Walker
I had a great time photographing iris at the Univerisy of California at
Berkeley Botanical Garden. The garden includes an extensive
collection of iris species. It is organizid by geographic region over
an area of 34 acres and
the iris bloom over a period of several months. In order to photogrpah the
iris there, I made seven trips to the gardens from mid April to the end of
June in 1999 (I need
to return in the winter in hopes of catching I. unguicularis in bloom). On
each trip, I explored the trails winding through the areas representing
the regions of the northern hemisphere. Hunting for iris treasures to
photograph was a fun adventure!
For example, I kept loosing I. milesii and finding it again.
It blooms late; I'd see the clump of leaves on one trip then on
the next trip I'd have to mount an extensive search for it. I'd either forget
exactly which trail it is on, or I'd think it was something else and
not bother to read the label! Never-the-less, I photographed it
when it eventually bloomed.
Then there were the surprises. I'd been souring the beds for iris for
two months and only spotted I. decora when it bloomed. It was clearly
labeled and was right next to a main pathway!
Copyright 1999 Kenneth Walker
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