Iris, Wild Blue - Iris versicolor

Iris versicolor, also known as Wild Blue or Harlequin Blueflag Iris, is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the UP. This graceful plant reaches 3 feet tall and flowers from May to July with a large, extremely showy blue blossom accented with yellow.
 
Wild Blue Iris prefers full sun to partial shade, medium to wet soil and will form attractive clumps in muck, clay or loam. This plant tolerates flooding and makes a great pond or lakeshore edging, where it provides early spring color, wildlife habitat, and erosion control. In the garden, where it does fine in regular garden soil, its wide leaves arch and provide texture and structure even after the showy blooms have finished. The early blooms are also valued by native bees, small butterflies, moths, and migrating hummingbirds. Several interesting moths host on the foliage. In a pond or lake, it is an excellent plant for dragonflies, providing sturdy stems and leaves needed by emerging dragonfly larvae.