Saw Bluebonnets on 288

pgabriel · Mar 16, 2012

All you girlie men can go take pics. Naw seriously, i love spring in texas.

Wildflower bumper crop

Blue is quickly becoming the color of spring as a good crop of bluebonnets bursts into bloom across much of Texas.

“They're everywhere because of the beautiful fall rains and the winter rains we've had,” said John R. Thomas, founder and president of Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg. “We should see a slightly above-average year for bluebonnets.”

Early bloomers started popping up a couple of weeks ago in landscapes, fields and along roadsides, and the best is yet to come. Depending on weather and location, the fullest bloom will be anywhere from next week to next month.

“We're still looking at the majority of them starting the third week of March, maybe a little earlier because of this mild weather we're having,” said Damon Waitt, senior director and botanist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.

The plants sprang to life with fall rains, and good winter moisture nurtured them along.

“We had the right rains come at the right time in the fall and through the winter,” Waits said. “They were spaced out nicely, and that's true pretty much for the middle of Texas on east, not so true west of Central Texas. That really enhanced the germination of our winter annuals — the bluebonnet and the Indian blanket and the Indian paintbrush.”

State parks, especially Inks Lake and Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, expect good bluebonnet showings, and reports are promising from Mason and Llano counties to the west and throughout the Hill Country. To the east, Washington and Montgomery counties are beginning to bloom, and flowers are opening across South Texas. Farther north, Ennis, the state's official bluebonnet city and bluebonnet trail, is expecting to be blue in late March or early April

After a drought-driven dearth of blooms last year, that's good news for Sunday drivers and family photographers. It's especially good fortune for communities where flower-lovers flock.

In April 2010, a banner year for bluebonnets, the Fredericksburg Visitor Information Center counted 10,301 visitors. Last April, the number fell to 6,585, according to Mary Ann McClain, communications manager for the Fredericksburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.

“Last year was very slow, very hot and very dry, and we went broke,” said Robin Nichols, co-owner of Knot in the Loop Saloon on Ranch Road 1323, the route leading to Willow City Loop, Gillespie County's 13-mile wildflower mecca. “So we're looking forward to a good season this year so we can make a lot of money.”

The bumper crop in 2010 brought everything from bikers to buses to limos to the loop, backing traffic up for as long as three hours.

“It gets pretty nutty out here, really,” Nichols said.

The bluebonnets on the loop look promising this year, she said, predicting beautiful blue around St. Patrick's Day. Thomas estimates peak bloom in the Hill Country will be about April 1, about two weeks ahead of most years because of the mild winter.

“I never thought I'd be so happy to see a wild pea,” said Nichols, referring to the bluebonnet's place in the legume family. “People lose their minds over a wild pea, but I'm glad to see them.”

While the drought claimed millions of Texas trees, wildflowers were less affected, thanks in part to an abundance of seed from the 2010 crop.

“That's the beautiful thing about these annuals,” said Waitt. “They skipped right through the drought as a seed in the ground.... They didn't really care about that.”

It's fortunate, he said, to have this year's crop to replenish the seed bank
Click to expand...

smokieethabear · Mar 16, 2012

I saw cars on 288

SuperBeeKay · Mar 16, 2012

Tons on 290 near brenham

LonghornFan · Mar 16, 2012

I saw a dead cat for sale on 288.

smokieethabear · Mar 16, 2012

I saw grass in addition to the bluebonnets, cars, and dead cat for sale..

on 288...

macalu · Mar 16, 2012

i bought a dead cat on 288.

mrm32 · Mar 16, 2012

I sold a dead cat on 288

Uprising · Mar 16, 2012

I left my cat in a box on 288

s land balla · Mar 16, 2012

I saw someone scrapin' plates all up and down 288.

The Real Shady · Mar 16, 2012

Had sex with a cat on 288, killed it.

R0ckets03 · Mar 16, 2012

Meow .

BrieflySpeaking · Mar 16, 2012

I cat a saw on 288.

Master Baiter · Mar 16, 2012

krosfyah · Mar 16, 2012

I saw two cats having sex on 288

DonkeyMagic · Mar 16, 2012

I had sex with two cats on 288

Err...wait

LonghornFan · Mar 16, 2012

Oh sorry, it was free.

Dr of Dunk · Mar 16, 2012

I sawed a cat on 288.

Jontro · Mar 16, 2012

I saw two cats and one cup on 288.

krnxsnoopy · Mar 16, 2012

I saw a dog and a cat having sex on 288.

xAliceInChains · Mar 16, 2012

I'm a dead cat, and I do not approve of this thread.

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Saw Bluebonnets on 288

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Saw Bluebonnets on 288

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