My uncle stopped by while I was weeding in the garden, and informed me that there were wild irises in a little hollow a few minutes walk away. I had found a bunch at Buzzard’s Roost a couple of weeks ago, but I had only seen a few on our property, mostly wilted. Sure enough, following a familiar draw, unbelievably lush this time of year, there were a few dozen wild irises, scattered here and there like gems.Although I’m somewhat better able to control myself when other people are hiking or walking with me, when I’m by myself I have this uncontrollable compulsion to look at every single flower I catch a glimpse of. So I zigzagged my way along a faint trail, where my uncle had driven to check fencing and do other ranch maintenance.Irises, also known as western blue flag, are complicated-looking flowers, with an exotic structure and beautiful patterns on the petals that look like watercolor painting. Other irises I had found this spring were somewhat washed-out or faded in appearance, which perhaps they were. These ones, though, had no shortage of vivid color. There were other wildflowers beginning to be in abundance, wallflowers and fleabane, and a false dandelion which was an exciting find – But the blue flags were the highlight.