h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I grew up between two swamps. (Yeah, lucky me!) The brook in front of our house had dragonfly larvae. Those things were not to be messed with!

"Those things were not to be messed with!"

No indeed!

Did you have problems with flies biting you, living between two swamps?

I got bitten by many things -- deerflies, mosquitoes black flies, hornets, small bees (so small you can't see them until you've annoyed them .

We had some wonderful tiger swallowtail butterflies, as well as mostly black butterflies and Monarchs/Viceroys. They were attracted to our land because they loved to sit on the ground where our sewage leaching field was. Sonething about electrolytes that they craved.

Ah, I suspected as much - when I was at school there was a problem with drainage one year so the flies loved it and made a meal of all the children, too, so I sympathise.

Impressive about the butterflies, though - beautiful contrast to the biting things... Fascinating about the electrolytes attracting them!

There are some beautiful things in swamps. I remember wandering along a swampy brook and seeing blue flag irises growing with their feet in the water.

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/blueflag.htm

Great photos on that website - I like Irises. I've seen the Blue Flag in my local Botanic Garden, but I think my favourite is the Iris sibirica, as that is still beautiful blue but also very delicate (quite different from the Bearded Irises)

I've planted bearded irises in some sunnier, drier locations near the entrance to the park. They're somewhat drought-tolerant. You don't want to give them too much shade, but the only way to tell whether they'll bloom is by planting them and seeing what they do. They all seem to bloom, so I must have guessed right.

I'm glad that you're enjoying my plant links.