Today is traditional Flag Day in the nation at large. The day commemorates the June 14, 1777, resolution of the Continental Congress that adopted the first flag of the United States, which symbolized the union of the 13 colonies that had declared independence the year before.
That flag, as does today’s, contained 13 stripes of alternating red (7) and white (6), including red top and bottom stripes. In an upper left field of blue there were 13 white stars, which were described then as symbolizing the “new constellation” of self-declared states.
Today also is another kind of flag day for wildflower lovers in Down East Maine: Blue flag iris (shown above) and yellow flag iris (shown below) appear to be at their peaks. Yes, the blues are natives and their beauty is benign, while the yellows are foreigners and they can be beautiful troublemakers. But that’s a different story. Today, let’s let Old Glory, blue iris, and yellow iris wave beautifully.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on June 12, 2026.)