wetland wildflower

Northern blue flag

Iris versicolor

Also known as Harlequin Blueflag, Large Blue Iris

Native to the Northeast and the Midwest and southern Canada

Southern Labrador to Man, south to western Virginia, northern Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota

Light Full sun to part shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist to wet Moisture preference
Zones 2–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom May–Jul Flowering time
Height up to 3 ft to 0.9 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A wetland wildflower for full sun to part shade and consistently moist to wet soil. Its blue and purple flowers peak in June. At up to 3 ft, it suits rain gardens, pond edges, and damp low spots. Hardy in USDA zones 2–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

When it blooms

The Northern blue flag's blue and purple flowers bloom May to July, peaking in June. This early-summer display draws bees and butterflies.

Northern blue flag blooms blue & purpleFoliage

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +33 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Tricolored Bumble Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Bombus fervidus, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Agapostemon texanus, Northern Amber Bumble Bee, Spurred Ceratina, Orange-tipped Wood-digger, Bufflehead Mason Bee, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, Say's Cuckoo Leafcutter Bee, Agile Longhorn Bee, Ceratina dupla, Ceratina mikmaqi, Anthophora ursina, Cyclops Blood Bee, Experienced Sweat Bee, Lasioglossum cinctipes, Illinois Sweat Bee, False Sunflower Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Eucera rosae, Goatsbeard Miner Bee, Leioproctus clypeatus, Waterleaf Mining Bee, Denticulate Nomad, Andrena miserabilis, Lasioglossum zonulum, Garden Bumble Bee, Tetragona dissecta
Butterflies Monarch

also Pearl Crescent, Silver-spotted Skipper, Spicebush Swallowtail +12 more
Viceroy, Zabulon Skipper, Peck's Skipper, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, Hobomok Skipper, Atlantis Fritillary, Long Dash, American Silver-bordered Fritillary, Arctic Skipper, Indian Skipper, Two-spotted Skipper, Atrytone delaware
Beetles Yellow Velvet Beetle

also Lined Longhorn Beetle, Bee-mimic Beetle, Stripe-legged Long-horned Beetle +2 more
Pseudotolida lutea, Downy Long-horned Beetle
Also visited by
- Flower flies:
  
  Black-shouldered Drone Fly, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly +4 more
  Hairy-eyed Bee-mimic Fly, Dusky Bog Fly, Eurimyia stipatus, Parhelophilus laetus
- Moths:
  
  Virginian Tiger Moth, Hummingbird Clearwing +3 more
  Nessus Sphinx, White-spotted Sable, Slender Clearwing
- Wasps: Euodynerus foraminatus
- Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: WetlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: The Northeast and the Midwest and southern CanadaUnited States (18): CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WI. Canada (7): MB, NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Southern Labrador to Man, south to western Virginia, northern Ohio, Michigan and MinnesotaThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Full sun to part shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Moist to wetThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 2–8 · Canadian 1–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist, rich soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to medium (sandy to loamy)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: Mildly acid to mildly alkalineThe acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).

Growth & form

Height: up to 3 ft (to 0.9 m)Typical mature height.
Spread: ~3 ft (1 m)How wide one plant gets, a guide to spacing.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: May–JulWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Blue, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: Capsule; ripens Jun–OctThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: Poisonous if eatenWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.