The Natural World – Ma Nature gets dressed up for spring festivals

Mother Nature, who wore apple blossoms for the Apple Blossom Festival, is getting dressed in blue and purple at the coast. The wild irises are in bloom.

Iris douglasiana, or the Douglas Iris, grows wild in the coastal hills and always seems to bloom just in time for annual Fisherman’s Festival in Bodega Bay. The irises freely interbreed with garden varieties when given the chance, but out at the coast the pure wild strain still flourishes.

All along Highway 1 you can find them and at Lovers Rock, at the summit of Coleman Valley Road, you can enjoy them while admiring a spectacular ocean view.