Dirt Road Iris

Last week while driving along a dirt road on the south side of Hvar, I came across this exquisitely pretty site.

While the water, rocks and trees were gorgeous, it was the irises that caught my attention. Not because of how nicely they balanced out the picture. Or even for their pop of brilliant color amidst the greens, browns and blues.

No, what made me stop to take a picture was the fact that they were there, in the middle of nowhere. There is no town nearby, nor any houses. They're just alongside the dirt road between Sveta Nedjelja and the entrance to the main road that leads to Hvar town.

As I stood there taking photos of them I thought about what I know of irises. Don't they come from bulbs? Or ryzomes? (Yes, I had to look that name up though I knew of the concept!).

So if they do, then it means someone, at some time, squatted down in that spot, dug a hole and planted them.

Very likely without anyone knowing.

It's impossible to know what that person's motives were in doing so. Or if they ever saw the blooms after they'd planted it.

But one thing's for sure, they knew it would be for the enjoyment of others. And that act of kindness touched me that day.

There are a lot of things that I've done without anyone seeing. But how many of those things were for the enjoyment of someone else, let alone someone I might never even know? That makes me stop in my tracks and think a bit!

I might just go buy some iris bulbs and plant them somewhere here in Czech, in a place that will surprise and bring delight to someone next spring!

And if I find out that irises actually grow in the wild without anyone planting them, then I'll thank God for his act of kindness to us all.