Bluebonnets and Wildflowers Abound in Ripe Spring Season in Texas

(video from Brenham, Texas, courtesy YouTube)

Wildflowers blanket rural Texas roads, the sides of busy highways, and lesser traveled rural spots.  Wherever Texans find themselves in the vast open space of the state, almost everywhere you look is a blank canvas for your camera.  Family photos are in full swing, and people are taking photographic advantage of the beautiful Texas spring.

“It’s green, it’s lush and we’ve just been waiting for things to pop,” said Dr. Damon Waitt, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's senior botanist. 

Bluebonnets and Indian Paint Brushes have become eye candy for the nature lover.  According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's web site, cooler temperatures have kept wildflowers in check, but as the mercury rises, the flowers are growing like weeds - except the wildflowers are much prettier!

“There will be beautiful displays of wildflowers in upcoming weeks – sometimes thousands in one place – based on what we’re seeing throughout Texas,” said Waitt.

The warmer weather, according to Waitt, wildflowers will be the "showiest" in central Texas by the middle of April.  The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center web site says central Texas sightings have included bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, coreopsis and Indian blanket along the Llano River northwest of Austin; stands of Mexican buckeye south of Blanco along part of RR 32; of bluebonnet and Indian paintbrush along FM 20 between Lockhart and Fentress; and just south of Fentress on FM 20, wildflowers sighted include large buttercup and Texas baby blue eyes.

Waitt says native plants face challenges.  After all, they're growing in Texas, where, as anyone knows, the weather can change in ten minutes.  “The same climatic conditions that make for a good wildflower season help invasive plants grow that can outcompete the native plants for resources,” said Waitt.  The web site said:

As an example, roadways such as FM 621 south of San Marcos that would normally be covered in golden groundsel instead contain miles of turnip weed, also called bastard cabbage. The Mediterranean invader with highlighter-yellow flowers that can grow waist high is also present along many roadways in Austin. Most of those roadways are also likely to be lined by tall, lush exotic grasses such as Japanese brome that compete with native Texas grasses.

“These invasive plant species preempt and crowd out native vegetation,” sad Waitt.

Families are popping up, too, just like the bluebonnets themselves.  They're taking pictures and enjoying the gift from mother nature.  It's not every year bluebonnets and other wildflowers are out in full force.

The pictures may be a dime a dozen, a cliche event that every family must take part in.  But they, like the flowers, never get old to look at.

To visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's web site, and to view the bluebonnet cam, click here.