A brilliant blue and white Walking Iris in full bloom shines radiantly against the green backdrop of the Big Island’s “Cloud Forest.”
An upland forest, unlike rain forests, tropical cloud forests get a good deal of their precipitation from condensation that forms on branches and leaves from passing clouds and mist. This unique environment exists around 3500 feet uphill, where inversion forms clouds and cooler temperatures for most of the day.
The humidity and coolness provides an excellent space for growing a wide variety of plants, including the Iris.
