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!
May 12, 2026Atlantic puffins, Wales

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 18, 2023Fall Astronomy Week
Sep 11, 202625th anniversary of September 11, 2001
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Feb 5, 2022Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
Mar 29, 2024South Stack Lighthouse, Holy Island, Wales
Jul 22, 2021Singing praises of the oceans
Jul 19, 2019A place fit for the gods
Aug 18, 2026Aerial view of Palmanova, a fortress city in Friuli, Italy
Jun 27, 2025Splendid leaf frog
Jul 26, 2018Exploring the wilder side of New York
Mar 11, 2026Peach trees in Cieza, Murcia, Spain
Jun 1, 2025World Reef Awareness Day
Dec 3, 2018Computer science on the page
Jan 14, 2018Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
Jul 2, 2022Halfway Day
Jun 16, 2022Seonam Temple, South Korea
Dec 14, 2023Christmas Bird Count
May 10, 2023Cordouan Lighthouse, France
Aug 31, 2021Bridge over the River Tara
Sep 11, 2020In honor of those we ve lost
Nov 21, 2019Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
Mar 31, 2025Ostuni, Apulia, Italy
May 21, 2019Salmon return to the Copper River
Dec 20, 2022Christmas market at Belvedere Palace in Vienna
Sep 5, 2023Mount Segla, Senja Island, Norway
Nov 19, 2022Zion National Park turns 103
Apr 15, 2020Art and soul
Mar 1, 2025Womens History Month
Jun 18, 2022International Surfing Day
Apr 24, 2019Cool water in the Quinault