Purple flowers have begun to bloom in Saga City's native habitat of the Ehime iris, which is designated as a national natural monument, and local elementary school students visited to observe it.
Ehime iris is a type of perennial in the Iridaceae family, and it blooms in early spring with purple flowers about 4 cm in diameter.
The slopes of Mt. Obikuma in Kuboizumi-cho, Saga City are designated as a national natural monument as a valuable natural habitat for the Ehime iris.
Some of the approximately 1,500 Ehime irises have begun to bloom, and on the 18th, fourth graders from the local Kuboizumi Elementary School visited to observe them.
Every year at school, as part of their learning activities, they work together with a local conservation group to plant trees and protect the trees, and the children took time to look at the flowers as they began to bloom.
Due to the continued low temperatures this year, flowering is a little later than usual.
One of the participating children said, ``This is the first time I've seen it bloom so beautifully.It's a treasure of my town, so I want many people to learn about the charm of Ehime iris by protecting and growing it in the community.''
Taiyo Saito, representative of the Kubo Izumi Ehime Iris Conservation Association, said, ``Ehime irises are a national treasure and Kubo Izumi's treasure, so we want to continue preserving and nurturing them together with the children.''
The natural habitat of Mt. Obikuma in Saga City is normally not accessible, but the Ehime Iris Festival will be held from the 23rd to the 31st of this month, when the flowers are in full bloom, and the general public can visit.