Iris unguicularis started to bloom here today, too. My Maryland garden is at about the same latitude (39.0839) as Jim Waddick's place in Kansas City, MO (39.0997) but he is USDA 5ish and I'm USDA 7. Also, the plant blooming today is in a cold frame; a companion plant a few feet away but not inside the cold frame has not yet started to bloom. I don't see buds on I. cretensis or I. lazica yet. In recent years this species has bloomed from mid-November right through April. When the weather turns nasty, I cover the plants at night, and this usually saves the buds. I've noticed that when Jim Waddick reports plants blooming in his garden the same ones are often blooming here. This strongly suggests to me that day length is an important factor in initiating bloom in these plants (since the day length is almost exactly the same at each location). Jim McKenney