Springtime is a little bit like magic here in Central Texas. Starting around mid-March, Texas native plants begin their beautiful blooms in the fields around the Hill Country of Central Texas.
As the weather warms and local plant life begin their cycles, the Lake Travis area is home to some of the best and brightest places for wildflowers. Some of the more popular Texas wildflowers like bluebonnets, Indian blankets, winecups and Texas paintbrush all seem to magically appear overnight and blanket the hillsides and fields in spectacular colors.
It won’t be long before cars are pulled over along any road within walking distance of a patch of bluebonnets. Families unload and head into the wildflowers for a photo op. Your Facebook feed will also be covered in bluebonnets as friends and families share pics and continue the annual Springtime tradition.
The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England and the tulip to Holland. — Historian Jack Maguire
Knowing the best locations for these moments is key for a priceless picture. Every year is a bit of a surprise which fields and locations will have the best blooms of the season. A fertile field one year will lay barren the next, so it’s always kind of an adventure to try to hunt down these prime spots for wildflower photo taking.
The drive out West to the Texas Hill Country to towns like Fredericksburg, Johnson City, Blanco, and Mason are along some of the paths awash with the swirling colors of Texas wildflowers.
The beloved state flower of Texas, the bluebonnet, starts its blooms in mid-March and continues on into the first two weeks or so of April. In some areas of Lake Travis and the Hill Country, you may have already spotted what looks as if a colorful blue confetti bomb went off on the side of interstate highways.
The drought in recent years has hit Texas vegetation pretty hard, and some of the wildflowers this year seem to be few and far between, but I have been able to spot a handful in well-watered areas of my neighborhood on Hudson Bend, so I know there is hope for this season yet.
Where are you finding the best places for Texas bluebonnets this year?
Check out Texas Bluebonnet Sightings and report your bluebonnet sightings.
