Hill Country Wildflowers

HILL COUNTRY
WILDFLOWERS

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The wildflowers of Texas are truly spectacular.

And they are at their most spectacular in the Texas Hill Country which the following photos document.

Texas blooms an astounding variety of wildflowers. Over 5,000 species of flowering plants are native to Texas. March, April and May are prime blooming months, but there is always something blooming somewhere in Texas.

Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg in Texas Hill Country.

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Driving deeper into Hill Country, following the Pedernales River, a sea of color comes into view just outside Fredericksburg. It is Wildseed Farms. The biggest wildflower farm in the nation. People from the Pacific Northwest would find it very much like the Roozengarde display gardens in the Skagit Valley. Only these are native wildflowers, not imported tulip color from Holland.

This field of bluebonnets seemed to extend to the horizon.

Visit Lady Bird Johnson's Wildflower Center

Hordes of people wander amongst the wildflowers.

A field of poppies of the sort Dorothy and the Tin Man may have taken a nap on.

The state flower of Texas, the bluebonnet. It is illegal to cut a bluebonnet while they are in bloom. This is punished at the discretion of the judge. In Texas this can mean anything from a slap on the wrist to a death sentence. In other words, Don't Mess with Bluebonnets.

Looking through the wildflowers towards the main Wildseed Farms buildings.

Wildseed Farms has a restaurant with an outdoor eating zone. That tormenting tasty smell of Texas barbecue polluting the air, in large part due to what you'll see in the next photo.

You seldom go to any outdoor event in Texas without seeing a version of what you see in this photo. A cowboy and his chuckwagon serving up vittles from a campfire. In 90 degree plus temperatures.

Leaving Wildseed Farms the Wildflower Trail takes us through the touristy German town of Fredericksburg, birthplace of Admiral Nimitz. Heading north from Fredericksburg, past pink granite quarries, towards Enchanted Rock State Park, bluebonnets line the sides of the highway.

Endless bluebonnets and peeking over that line of trees on the left we see Enchanted Rock, one of our destinations on this Wildflower Tour through Hill Country. We'll see more of Enchanted Rock elsewhere, so let's just continue on and look at some more wildflowers.

The road follows the Illano River. At one point multiple cars were stopped at the side of the road. They had stopped to view a classic wildflower scene that shows up in Texas tourist literature and magazines. The above view is from the opposite side of the road from the classic scene.

The classic scene. No. Not Chloe. But she did finally agree to pose for a picture while sitting among the flowers. This seems to be the thing to do. You see people doing this all over, wherever there are wildflowers, often they just stop on the freeway and pose their little kid among the bluebonnets.

The same scene, but Chloe-free.

Below are just a few of the over 5000 wildflowers native to Texas:

Albino Paintbrush, American Lotus, Antelope Horns, Beach Morning Glory, Beebalm, Bishop's Weed, Bull Nettle, Dewberry, Dogwood, Fleabane, Magnolia, Milfoil, Prairie larkspur, Rain Lilies, Silky Camellia, Spanish Dagger, Spider Lilies, Torrey Yucca, White Prickly Poppy, Wild Azaleas, Wooly-White, Yucca, Albino Paintbrush, American Lotus, Antelope Horns, Beach Morning Glory, Beebalm, Bishop's Weed, Bull Nettle, Dewberry, Dogwood, Fleabane, Magnolia, Milfoil, Prairie larkspur, Rain Lilies, Silky Camellia, Spanish Dagger, Spider Lilies, Torrey Yucca, White Prickly Poppy, Wild Azaleas, Wooly-White, Yucca, Basket Flower, Bougainvillea, Butterfly Weed, Cardinal Flower, Cedar Sage, Cholla, Claret Cup, Crimson Clover, Downy Paintbrush, Drummond, Gayfeather, Grass Pink, Horse Crippler, Indian Blanket, Indian Paintbrush, Lace Cactus, Lantana, Mountain Pink, Obedient Plant, Ocotillo, Phlox, Pink Evening Primrose, Pitaya, Prairie Brazoria, Prickly Pear Cactus, Red Corn Poppies, Red Flowered Yucca, Redbud Tree, Rose Vervain, Scarlet Pimpernel, Standing Cypress, Strawberry Cactus, Surprise Lilly, Swamp Mallow, Texas Toadflax, Toadflax, Winecup, Aster, Baby Blue-eyes, Bachelor Button, Blue Curls, Blue Mealy Sage, Blue Sage, Blue-eyed grass, Bluebells, Bluebonnets, Buffalo Peas, Cenizo, Day Flower, Foxglove, Guayacan, Henbit, Herbertia, Larkspur, Lechuguilla, Lemonmint, Mountain Laurel, Phacelia, Pinewoods Lily, Purple Vetch, Scurfy Pea, Skeleton Weed, Skullcap, Spiderwort, Texas Thistle, Verbena, Wild Plum & Wisteria

Hope you enjoyed your drive through the Texas Hill Country Wildflowers....