Konrad Wothe / Gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) flowering with meadow brown butterfly (Maniola jurtina), Upper Bavaria, Germany.

Martin Gabriel / Firefly crocus (Crocus sieberi) flowers in snow, Bavaria, Germany, March.

Konrad Wothe / Gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) flowers, Upper Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Crocus (Crocus vernus) flowering in Upper Bavaria with Karwendel mountains in distance, Germany, April.

Konrad Wothe / Bumblebee (Bombus sp) approaching Gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) flowers, Upper Bavaria, Germany

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a Bumblebee (Bombus) feeding from a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a Small tortoiseshell butterfly (Aglais urticae) nectaring on a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a Bumblebee (Bombus) feeding from a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a European honey bee (Apis mellifera) entering a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) flower, Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a European honey bee (Apis mellifera) entering a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) flower, Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a European honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeding from a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a European honey bee (Apis mellifera) leaving a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) flower after feeding, Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a Bumblebee (Bombus) nectaring on a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), with a Bee fly (Bombyliidae) flying nearby, Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a European honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeding from a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a Garden bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) feeding from a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Slow motion clip of a Bumblebee (Bombus) feeding from a Marsh gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris), Bavaria, Germany, July.

Konrad Wothe / Siberian irises (Iris sibirica) growing in a field, Bavaria, Germany, May.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) showing irridescence on one wing due to angle of view, Mannheim, Germany. June.

Kerstin Hinze / Crocus (Crocus sp), flowering, cultivated plant in Westfalenpark, Dortmund,, Germany, March.

Kerstin Hinze / Crocus (Crocus sp), flowering, cultivated plant in Westfalenpark, Dortmund, Germany, March.

Kerstin Hinze / Crocus ( Crocus neapolitanus), flowering in Husum Palace Garden, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, March.

Kerstin Hinze / Crocus (Crocus neapolitanus) flowering in Husum Palace Garden, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, March.

Ingo Arndt / Siberian iris {Iris siberica} flowers, Germany

Ingo Arndt / Yellow iris {Iris pseudacorus} flower, Germany

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Siberian iris (Iris sibirica), Lochbusch-Königswiesen Nature Reserve, Mitteltrumm, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Close up of Siberian iris (Iris sibirica), Lochbusch-Königswiesen Nature Reserve, Mitteltrumm, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) showing reproductive parts, Büchelberg, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), Büchelberg, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) pupa, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) pupa, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) adult showing underwing, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) adult, Mannheim, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) caterpillar with silk, Lorsch, Hessen, Germany. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), Büchelberg, Pfalz, Germany. May. Meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus), Büchelberg, Pfalz, Germany. May. Meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Dirk Funhoff / Purple emperor butterfly (Apatura iris) caterpillar, Lorsch, Hessen, Germany. May. Meetyourneighbours.net project

Pascal Pittorino / Moorish wall gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) on German iris flower (Iris germanica) Var, Provence, France, May.

Pascal Pittorino / Close up of German iris petal (Iris germanica) with water drops, in botanic garden, Var, Provence, France, April.

Martin Gabriel / Firefly crocus (Crocus sieberi) flowers in snow, Bavaria, Germany, March.

Martin Gabriel / Firefly crocus (Crocus sieberi) flowers in snow, Bavaria, Germany, March.

Kim Taylor / Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) growing wild in mountains. Croatia, June

Paul Harcourt Davies / German Iris (Iris germanica) flower, Orvieto, Italy, April

Paul Harcourt Davies / German Iris (Iris germanica) in flower, Orvieto, Italy, April

Kerstin Hinze / Iris germanica var, cultivated, Germany

Kerstin Hinze / Siberian iris (Iris sibirica), Lower Saxony, Germany

Kerstin Hinze / Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) in flower, Lower Saxony, Germany

Florian Möllers / Michael Ristow, a botanist with the University of Potsdam, investigating a site for Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) in the Wuhlheide, Berlin, Germany, May 2008

Florian Möllers / Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) Berlin, Germany.

Dietmar Nill / Purple emperor butterlfy (Apatura iris) Germany

Konrad Wothe / Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) flowers, Bavaria, Germany

Konrad Wothe / Gladiolus (Gladiolus palustris) flowers, Upper Bavaria, Germany

Gary K. Smith / Urban back garden, Garden wildlife pond, in early summer, Norfolk, UK, May

Martin Gabriel / Stands of Yellow iris (Iris pseudacorus) along the White Laber river, near Dietfurt, Bavaria, Germany, May 2007.

Steve Knell / Norfolk hawker dragonfly (Anaciaeschna isisceles) on flag iris (Iris germanica), UK

Kim Taylor / Common Kingfishers (Alcedo atthis) flying, one with fish in beak, Surrey, UK, digital composite

Jose B. Ruiz / Flag Iris {Iris germanica} Alcoy, Alicante, Spain

Mike Potts / Coypu {Myocastor coypus} swimming, Norfolk, UK, Coypu have now been eradicated from the UK

Hans Christoph Kappel / Purple Emperor butterfly male (Apatura iris)

Konrad Wothe / Black-veined white butterfly (Aporia crataegi) resting on Siberian iris (Iris sibirica), Upper Bavaria, Germany. June.

Konrad Wothe / Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) in flower, Upper Bavaria, Germany. June.

Konrad Wothe / Crocuses (Crocus vernus) flowering on mountainside in alpine meadow in spring with mountain chalet in background, Daffner Alm, Heuberg mountain, Upper Bavaria, Germany. April.

Konrad Wothe / Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) flowering in meadow, Upper Bavaria, Germany, Europe. June.

Pal Hermansen / Bearded iris flower (Iris germanica) Photography taken with the Kirlian technique, a technique which allows imaging of electrical coronal discharge.

Dave Watts / Long purpleflag (Patersonia occidentalis). Tasmania, Australia. December.

Dave Watts / Short purpleflag (Patersonia fragilis). Tasmania, Australia. November.

Ingo Arndt / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeding on Crocus flower (Crocus vernus) flowering ) in spring, Germany.

Konrad Wothe / Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica) Upper Bavaria, Germany. May.