Hill Country wildflowers
The lure of a good bluebonnet season enticed me into the Hill Country today. Around 2 pm, I headed west from Austin toward Fredericksburg, then up to Llano before returning home. Brown, nondescript roadsides along Hwy. 290 on the way to Fredericksburg had me worrying that I’d come too early. But as soon as I turned north on Hwy. 16 headed to Llano, the roadsides and fields burst into bloom. Here’s a sampling of the wildflowers I saw today.
Cows grazed among the bluebonnets, which covered the fields so thickly they created an illusion of water. See the mist of blue even in the far background, behind the trees?
Indian paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa ) and bluebonnets (Lupinus texensis ) mingle alongside the highway.
Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide, by Campbell and Lynn Loughmiller, helped me identify this one as goldeneye phlox (Phlox roemeriana ).
Bluebonnets and Fendler bladderpod, or popweed (Lesquerella fendleri )
White prickly poppies (Argemone albiflora ) like these floated above entire fields.
More poppies
A roadside river of bluebonnets
A bluebonnet with goldeneye phlox in the background
More bluebonnets sharing space with grazing cows
Between Johnson City and Fredericksburg, we came across the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site. Since we were on a wildflower safari, it seemed appropriate to remember not just LBJ’s legacy but his wife Lady Bird Johnson’s legacy of promoting the preservation and seeding of native wildflowers along state highways. We stopped in for a quick look around, and just past the visitor center we found a charming living-history farm, known as the Sauer-Beckmann Farmstead. Several adults and one child wearing early 20th-century farm clothes were working the farm as in days of old, churning butter, making lye soap, blacksmithing, and caring for the livestock. It was quite educational to see how people got along without refrigeration, indoor plumbing, electronics, or any other modern conveniences we take for granted.
Though we didn’t see any horses at the farm, saddles lined a wall in an atmospheric tackroom in the barn.
A red hen kept the blacksmith and his grandson company until we walked up. Then she flew down from the wall and scurried away. What a chicken.
At last it was time to head home. So long, country roads.
Lovely Pam those fields of wild flowers, there’s nothing better at this time of year IMO. Great pics, as usual. 🙂
Lovely and scenic. Thank you for the beautiful pictures and commentary. Sounds like a great way to spend an afternoon.
Beautemous! Such lovely spring light.
Yolanda Elizabet, Carol, and Chuck, thanks for the comments. After last year’s poor showing of wildflowers due to the drought, it’s great to see the roadsides painted blue, yellow, and pink again. —Pam
Just a gorgeous and abundant spring! I love the white poppies -so delicate and fresh.
It’s been a long time since we were out that way, and it looks like you’ve caught the wildflowers at their peak, Pam. It is definitely a much better year!
Thanks for the tour and the plant identifications.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
[I have tried to post this on the previous post several times, but the security code thing is not working for me:
My pomegranate has no buds, and a friend’s 2-years planted tree hasn’t bloomed either, but the one in your garden wouldn’t even think of witholding the flowers, would it?
“Be one with the pole” made me laugh, Pam.]
Aargh! I hate that my spam blocker is giving you trouble. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll look into it. —Pam
I used to travel to East Texas alot (College Station) several years ago – and just loved being there in the springtime. The friend I stayed with lived on a long dirt road (like your photo above) and he had horses and I used to think it was one of the best places to be this time of year. I purchased bluebonnet seeds once during my visit, and tried them – but I didn’t had much success. Thanks for sharing these!
Your friend’s place sounds idyllic. Too bad the bluebonnets didn’t work for you. I guess they just need that Texas soil. —Pam
Hope you don’t mind: I’ve included this post in the first Fiesta de Tejas!, a Texas blog carnival. C’mon over and see: http://timpanogos.wordpress.com/2007/04/02/yee-haw-the-first-fiesta-de-tejas-is-on-the-web-2007-wildflower-edition/
Hi, Ed. Actually, I do mind your reposting my photo without obtaining permission from me and without direct attribution. Therefore, I’d like for you to remove my photo from your post. Cordially, Pam Penick
Thank you for the beautiful photos.
You’re very welcome! —Pam
Dear Pam,
Back in Kentucky with my 86 year old, Texas-born mom, I’m overjoyed to show her these gorgeous pictures of the Lone Star Sate at its finest. Hope y’all are having a glorious stretch of April.
Julie
We are indeed. Tell your mom howdy from me. —Pam
My husband’s parents live in Johnson City and needless to say, I absolutely love to visit them. The area is just so serene and laid back that anyone could just let themselves go.
What a beautiful region it is. Thank you for commenting, Jeanette. —Pam