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Slender Blue Iris

Iris prismatica

Found in bogs, wet acidic barrens, marshes, ditches, pools. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

58
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Light
Partial sun, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moderate, High
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
May to August

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves

Height: NC species account not read yet.

Spread and leaves: no source found yet.

Recorded in 12 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Iris

  • Amphipoea americanaAmerican Ear Moth, American Borer
  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Helotropha reniformisAmerican Crescent Borer, Reniform Celaena, Reniform Helotropha
  • Macronoctua onustaIris Border Moth, Iris Root Borer
  • Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Show all 12
  • Xanthopastis regnatrixConvict Caterpillar, Spanish Quaker, Spanish Moth
  • Xylena nuperaRed Swordgrass Moth, American Swordgrass Moth, False Armyworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
15BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Iris

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Iris

  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Iridaceae
Flower color
Blue
Fruit begins
May
Fruit ends
August

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “May to June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Blue” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Fruit begins · “May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Light · “Partial sun (minimum requirement); Full sun (minimum requirement)” · Virginia DCR Coastal Plain (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs) · Virginia regional planting chart; sunlight is a minimum requirement, moisture is low/moderate/high
  • primary_flower_color · “blue” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Soil · “Moderate; High” · Virginia DCR Coastal Plain (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs) · Virginia regional planting chart; sunlight is a minimum requirement, moisture is low/moderate/high

Conservation status

Virginia rankS3
Global rankG4G5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources