An iris garden in Tokyo, Japan 12 May 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 recognised 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

A butterflys best friend
International Nurses Day
12 May 2024Skiddaw, Lake District National Park

More Desktop Wallpapers:

18 May 2025International Museum Day
11 Nov 2023Val di Funes, Italy
21 Mar 2024International Day of Forests
29 Oct 2025Ancient til trees in Fanal Forest, Madeira, Portugal
Perfect, pastoral Palouse
Out of this world
Where can you find this cute creature?
22 Feb 2025Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri, United States
13 Jan 2026Hen Galan
7 May 2024A duckling swimming in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
5 Nov 2025Guy Fawkes Night
1 Jul 2024Canada Day
4 Jan 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska, United States
A high-flying royal tradition
23 Nov 2024Fibonacci Day
29 Jul 2025International Tiger Day
12 Jun 2024Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
9 Jun 2025Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia
7 Jan 2025Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
A one-of-a-kind splash
21 Sep 2025Sea Otter Awareness Week
To the infinite and back
25 May 2025Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada
26 Sep 2023Venice Skatepark, Los Angeles, California
Man-made, meandering Lake Powell
19 Apr 2025Zion National Park, Utah, United States
16 Sep 2024Wallabies, Australia
21 Feb 2024Firefall at Yosemite
4 Sep 2024Dusky eagle-owls, Pakistan
A postcard-perfect landscape