As I was preparing to go out to lunch yesterday with my dear friend and photography mentor Cindy Dyer, she glanced down at her garden and noticed that an iris was already in bloom, the first one of the spring. I suspect that this is some kind of dwarf iris, because it was nestled low in the vegetation and was only about six inches (15 cm) tall.
I thought about cropping the photo a little tighter, but wanted to retain the bug that is in the upper left corner of the image. As you might guess, I did not notice the little insect when I captured the photo with my iPhone. Cindy likes to call these “bonus bugs”—it is amazing how often I discover these “bonus bugs” in my photos when reviewing them on my computer.
Cindy has planted a wide variety of irises in her garden, so this is a sneak preview of the amazing beauty that is yet to come. I don’t know the name of this iris variety, but love the lavender color of its “beard.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The beauty of your photos and your inspiring words never fail to bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart. And as much as I love the gorgeous iris bloom, it is the bug upon it along with your writing about Cindy’s phrase “bonus bug” that elicits both. When Benjamin was still crawling, he would at times lift his bum up and move about on both hands and feet instead of using his knees. His Auntie “H” said he looked like a bug and thus began calling him “Benjamin Bug”. The name stuck and to this day she simply calls him “Bug”! “Bugs are not going to inherit the earth. They own it now. So we might as well make peace with the landlords.” – Thomas Eisner ( 1929-2011). You may be familiar with the renowned man for his pioneering work and writing too. Two of his books were purchased for our “Bug” : “For Love of Insects” (2003) and “Eisner’s World : Life through Many Lenses” (2009). Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Beautiful!
A shy little thing. Enjoy all the irises to come!!