Stop and smell the wildflowers — or heck, go ahead and pick ’em if you want

I’ve been driving around the county and northward the past few days and realize that we’re in the midst of a pretty remarkable wildflower display.

So I figured now was the time to offer some suggestions about where to see fields of bluebonnets that are impressive in size and scope.

Bluebonnets are our state flower, have been for well over 100 years, and they’ve been scattered all over Central Texas. This isn’t the best year for them I can remember, but it’s pretty darn good.

My all-time favorite year for bluebonnets was 1997, the year we saw the Hale-Bopp Comet. There were flowers as far as the eye could see along Texas 29 east and west of Llano. And 1980 was really good, too. I remember that year because our daughter Casey was a baby, but we balanced her in the midst of bluebonnets growing out near Lake Buchanan.

She was seriously upset about it, but we got the pictures and sent them to grandparents anyway.

There are tons of bluebonnets along Texas 29 going toward Buchanan and Llano and massive displays along U.S. 281 between Burnet and Marble Falls. RM 1431 is another area sporting lots of flowers this year.

Despite what you might hear, there is no law against picking wildflowers along the highway. Just be careful of causing traffic jams and watch for rattlesnakes hiding in the grass beneath the flowers.

While you’re sightseeing for the bluebonnets, keep an eye out for Indian paintbrush and Indian blanket or firewheel. Both are brightly colored and already sprouting along the roads as well.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: These are the best spots in Central Texas for bluebonnets, wildflowers