An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan May 12, 2025

An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan

Flower viewing is a beloved tradition in Japan, with each season bringing its own natural spectacle. Just as the last sakura (cherry blossom) petals drift away, Tokyo"s gardens start gearing up for their next big show: the iris bloom. Featured here is an iris garden in Tokyo. The iris is a flowering plant genus that has 310 recognized species, known for their bold and beautiful blossoms. The genus is named after the Greek word "îris", meaning "rainbow," which is also the name of the Greek goddess of rainbows.

© M.Arai/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

May 12, 2018It’s World Migratory Bird Day
May 12, 2019The parenting of a piping plover
May 12, 2020Nursing the world to health
May 12, 2021A visit to Limerick on Limerick Day
May 12, 2022International Nurses Day
May 12, 2023Wild lupines
May 12, 2024Happy Mothers Day!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 26, 2022Brocken spectre in Central Balkan National Park, Bulgaria
Jun 7, 2018Humpbacks return to the Inside Passage
Oct 14, 2019Canadian Thanksgiving
Oct 25, 2019The lemurs of Madagascar
Aug 29, 2020Big wheels on a big mountain
Mar 31, 2019Celebrating a Paris landmark
Sep 5, 20242024 Toronto International Film Festival
Feb 27, 2022International Polar Bear Day
Jun 6, 2020The long and wiggling path
Jul 11, 2023World Population Day
Oct 23, 2022Mute swan
Jan 9, 2020Into the woods
Apr 7, 2022Málaga, Spain
Feb 11, 2023Milky Way over Zabriskie Point, California
Feb 23, 2018Aerial view of the Colorado River Delta in Mexico
Sep 13, 2023Hemakuta Hill, Hampi, India
Jul 8, 2018Travel Sunday: Flamenco in Granada, Andalusia, Spain
Dec 3, 2019It’s Giving Tuesday
Jan 30, 2020The Pearl of Siberia
Nov 16, 202250 years of World Heritage Sites
Jun 6, 2024The 80th anniversary of D-Day
Jun 2, 2022Queen Elizabeth s Platinum Jubilee
Apr 10, 2024Siblings Day
Jan 23, 2023Moai statues on Easter Island, Chile
Jan 30, 2024Aýna, Albacete, Spain
Feb 8, 2021A hero for the 21st century
Aug 9, 2022International Day of the World s Indigenous Peoples
Apr 13, 2023Hitsujiyama Park, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Feb 26, 2023Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
Sep 10, 2024Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal