Tags
blue, bluebonnets, nature, road trip, spring, state flower, Texas, wildflowers
Get out of town, I urged myself. A mini roadtrip is always a balm, and my Sunday drive a few days ago was no exception, a country comfort for my bruised urban soul. I aimed the car west, alone, in the late morning, looking to find the sea of blue that sprouts this time of year in central Texas.
In late March and early April, the bluebonnets arrive. At least two forms of these lupines are native to Texas, but an ambitious Highway Department program in the 1930s to beautify the landscape spread the delicate state flower ever wider.
Five species now border many major highways in the state, and they are joined by numerous other wildflowers, like Indian paintbrush, pink evening primrose, and Indian blanket.
Envious of all the young families plopping their Easter-clad children in the flowers, I returned home in the late afternoon, picked up the old lady pooch, and settled her into her own blue bed right here in Houston’s Hermann Park.
From highway berms to private farms, Hill Country towns to city parks, Texas is awash in wildflowers this time of year. The best are yet to come, but this little glimpse put a big smile on my face.
Cheryl Capaldo Traylor said:
Beautiful flowers and pup! Thanks, that put a big smile on my face, too.
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lexklein said:
Thank you! It was such an upper of a day – just what I needed.
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Fast Pam@thelifebus said:
AWWW, I love your baby in the flowers!! I am in San Antonio for a few weeks, I HAVE to see if I can find the Bluebonnets near by! They are soo beautiful. Definitely one of the good things about TX.
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lexklein said:
I’ll bet you can find some near there! They seem to be popping up all over the place in the last week or so.
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J.D. Riso said:
Nothing like wildflowers to uplift the soul. Add a road trip and it’s like a journey through heaven. I’ve seen photos of the vast landscapes bluebonnets in Texas and it has always seemed like a dreamland. I’ve been lucky enough to visit the poppy fields around Lancaster, California, which is impressive, but contained in a smaller area. So much living color. Spring is here for you…those of us in the north have to wait. Longer than usual this year. That doggie looks like a puppy, not an old lady!
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lexklein said:
Yep, a drive through those colorful little flowers was very uplifting. I’ve heard from my Chicago friends that the weather has not been too spring-like, but then again it never is up there. You go straight from winter to summer. I remember watching baseball games on Mother’s Day in a down jacket … and then roasting a few weeks later.
My dog is 14 1/2, believe it or not. She still looks almost exactly like her puppy self, but she can’t even walk anymore. Her hind legs simply do not work, and she is now solidly past her life expectancy of 8-12 years. Still a pretty happy girl, though!
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Green Global Trek said:
Absolutely glorious wildflowers! I love the tone of the blue, and the closeups which show the yellow and white tips. Lupines are one of my favorite flowers but I have not seem them very often. Pretty cute pooch too!
Peta
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lexklein said:
I have always been a fan of lupines, too, and the way the bluebonnets spread, it’s just like an ocean out there in the fields. I wanted to get a few photos of my sweet dog in her Texas home; she probably won’t be around a lot longer. 😦
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Anonymous said:
I have seen lupines in Nova Scotia but these bluebonnets overwhelm them! So many varieties, so many fields of blue! Thanks, Elaine
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lexklein said:
It’s interesting how this species thrives in so many different climates. I’ve seen them in far northern places, but here the blue shade makes them something really special!
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thirdeyemom said:
Greenery and flowers! I can hardly wait Lexi. Still covered in dirty snow here. Enjoy!
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lexklein said:
Oh, I know – I’m sorry! I was commenting to Julie above that Chicago was always so annoying in the spring. It stayed cold so long, and then suddenly spring/winter were gone and we were sweltering!
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lexi said:
Wow, those flowers are incredible!! Texas seems like an amazing place to be this time of year! Love the sweet baby too.
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lexklein said:
I LOVE all the wildflowers here, and the bluebonnets are just so quintessentially Texan. The sweet “baby” is 14 1/2 years old and pretty much immobile, but she’s still a cutie pie!
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badfish said:
If I post soon, it’s going to be because of your first lines: get out of town/road trip/balm/bruised urban soul. Got it! I love taking photos of flowers, love it. But mine never turn out the way they looked. My flower shots are like shots of the Grand Canyon–you know it was great, but the shot lies short of the greatness. Yours are great. But better, they remind me of my years (daze) in Aspen, CO and all the Indian paintbrush in the high meadows. And those purple columbines…to die for.
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lexklein said:
I feel your pain on shots of big places like the Grand Canyon; mine are always so disappointing. Flowers I do a little better, but I know what you mean! You can never quite capture the carpet of color the way it really looks. Aspen and its high meadows are maybe the prettiest wildflower settings ever! I went a few years ago in May and had a field day with my camera (no pun intended).
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Alison and Don said:
Oh gorgeous! I would be swooning if I was there looking at all that beauty. Heart-opened just by seeing it vicariously. I think I’m a little in love with those dudes in the Highway Dept, whoever they were, who thought up such a scheme.
Alison
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lexklein said:
I was luckily alone in the car because I kept exclaiming upon coming over a rise or rounding a bend … Ooooohhh, ahhhhh, oh my gosh, wowwww, etc. I was truly squealing with delight at some of the scenes!
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shoreacres said:
Thank Lady Bird Johnson, who was the real moving force behind it all!
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lexklein said:
She did a ton to promote the beautification of TX and other interstate highways, but that act was passed in 1965, and the TX Dept of Highways started its wildflower planting and preservation in the 30s – a fact I was unaware of before looking into it myself.
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shoreacres said:
That’s amazing. I’ve never read about that. It just proves that the same story can be told in many different ways, depending on the facts at hand, and a person’s perspective. I do remember that when I first moved to Texas in 1971 or so, I was told that she was responsible for the flowers along the road, and I never questioned it. Beware received wisdom!
Still — her influence extends far beyond the highways. I still haven’t visited the Wildflower Center in Austin, but I depend on it for information.
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lexklein said:
I always assumed she was the impetus, too (and she certainly added to the initiative here and in other places, not just with flowers but with removing roadside blight in some areas). And the Wildflower Center is an amazing legacy in itself!
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Bama said:
I’ve never heard of bluebonnet before, but wow! It’s pretty! This sounds like a very rewarding excursion, Lex, especially after what you’ve been through with your house. The pooch looks quite content too. I love taking photos of flowers too, but the thing is in the tropics you have to go either really early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Otherwise, the harsh sun would make those flowers’ colors ‘pop’ less.
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lexklein said:
It was great to get away for a half day, Bama, especially into those fields of wildflowers! I was kind of lucky that some cloud cover rolled in while I was out there because our strong Texas sun washes out the colors also, and I got to my main destination at high noon. The dog was patient as I kept sticking her into the mashed-down flowers closer to home; she is extremely old and can’t walk; otherwise, she might not have been so content in those scratchy grasses and flowers!
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Suzanne said:
I’m a Native Texan wanderer, but I have to confess “bluebonnet season” is the only time I wish I were back there. Especially those most prolific fields where you can actually smell their faint perfume wafting through the air. We have Lady Bird Johnson to thank for much of the proliferation of Texas wildflowers.
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lexklein said:
I have read a lot about Lady Bird’s contributions, but I had no idea of the Highway Dept. efforts even before that. Whoever did it had great foresight!
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Dave Ply said:
A lesson, and a preconception shattered. I didn’t know bluebonnets were lupines, but when I looked at your pictures featuring leaves I thought, “that looks like a lupine” and a closer re-read confirmed it. And the preconception? I tend to think of Texas as being dry and dusty, not a haven for wildflowers. It is a big state…
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lexklein said:
It’s funny to read so many people’s ideas of Texas as dry and dusty. The west surely is, but I’ve only ever lived in the Houston area (in the 80s and now), and it is the opposite of dry – humid, green, and palm-tree filled! North and East Texas – other places I’ve frequented – have piney woods, so I rarely think of Texas the way most people do!
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Curt Mekemson said:
Cheerful flower photos, Lexi. A definite sigh of spring! And I wasn’t aware that the Texas Blue Bonnet is a member of the lupine family. Old lady pooch seemed quite happy. –Curt
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lexklein said:
Old lady pooch has to stay wherever I put her as she can no longer walk, but I will take that as a sign of contentment! Spring has definitely sprung here in TX!
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Amy Sampson said:
Awww… “the old lady pooch” is adorable. 🙂
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lexklein said:
Isn’t she a sweetheart? I love that girl and dread the day she needs to leave us.
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Amy Sampson said:
Enjoy every moment with her. 🙂
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Manja Mexi Movie said:
Oooo, these are marvellous. The dog lady looks very regal. I’m planning similar outings for April when blossoms get all out over here too. Just me and bestia. I’ve taken similar photos of him full in flowers and I know I will again.
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lexklein said:
I will certainly look forward to the photos of Bestia amid the Italian countryside flowers!
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awtytravels said:
After my visit to Austin, another hit at my “tumbleweed+cacti” stereotype of Texas!
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lexklein said:
You’ve gotta get beyond the old spaghetti westerns, Fabrizio! My part of the state is practically tropical – all green and wet and lush! Are you saying Austin defied your stereotyped ideas or confirmed them? It’s drier than Houston but still not nearly a desert-type climate.
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Tina Schell said:
Good for you Lex – balm for the soul isn’t it?! Loved the shot with you little pup in the flowers, but they’re all wonderful. If they’re like this in a normal year I can only imagine what a superbloom would look like!
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lexklein said:
This year is supposed to be really good! I’m hoping to get out there at least one more time …
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
Such cute photos of your pup and the flowers! What’s her name? Glad to read about that smile on your face, Lexie. Your photos did that for me, since, here in Santa Fe at 7,000 ft, there are no signs of spring yet! A bit more patience, maybe? 🙂
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lexklein said:
Her name is Wrigley, after the company and baseball stadium in Chicago (my husband is a baseball freak), and also because she was a wriggly little puppy. Although spring has not arrived in Santa Fe, I’m sure you are enjoying all the many things that area has to offer!
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Liesbet @ Roaming About said:
Soon, we hope to start exploring again. 🙂
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Better blues, yes! They are so pretty!
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lexklein said:
Oh, I loved that pretty drive last weekend! And then I saw even more lovely spring flowers this past weekend in Arkansas. Feeling very lucky!
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
Sounds lovely! We just got more snow, it snowed all day long. Would love to see fields of flowers! 💜At least I got to see these lovely images of yours!
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The Snow Melts Somewhere said:
…and thanks for showing off your cute little doggie!
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lexklein said:
Isn’t she a sweetheart?! So old (14.5) but still looks like her little puppy self!
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shoreacres said:
You know, it was about three this afternoon when I thought, “If she did research, she must have mentioned it.” And you did. I was so entranced by your photos, I read right past the information about the highway department. That’s the power of bluebonnets!
And oh, my. I love the photos of Wrigley. I was going to add that earlier, but I had two guys in the process of changing out water heaters, and got distracted. I hope that you have her for some time yet. I’m still at the point where I hope no one, ever, has to go through what I did with Dixie Rose, but I fear that’s not in my power. I know I don’t have to tell you to make as many memories as you can.
I found bluebonnets last week, too. I’m tending toward the minimalist approach these days, and really got a kick out of this little group that I found on the Willow City Loop north of Fredericksburg.
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lexklein said:
Each day I wonder how long Wrigley will be here and that’s why I had to get her into some bluebonnets to commemorate her time in Texas! Some days she is great and I think she’ll live much longer; other days, she is not so good. I can totally understand your pain at losing Dixie Rose. It’ll be very rough for us.
Your little bluebonnets hiding out under a rock are all the more precious for their loneliness! I like them every way – in tiny doses or in mass fields!
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James said:
What an uplifting reminder of spring and nature’s beauty! I have never seen bluebonnets in person so I’d probably end up even more excited – enough to take hundreds of photos! I love the look of Wrigley sitting among the flowers and would happily volunteer to carry her around. Is she a King Charles Spaniel? My dad always wanted one but my persuasive mom always preferred bigger dogs like labradors and golden retrievers.
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lexklein said:
Thanks, James! Yes, Wrigley is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (a little different from the snub-nosed English version). I grew up with big dogs and my husband grew up with no dogs, so a small dog was a compromise! I’ve loved having the little one – so much easier for travel!
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AndysWorldJourneys said:
fields of gorgeous blue? LOVE IT!
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Andy. I think now there are even vaster fields out there!
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Bespoke Traveler said:
Nothing says spring has arrived like giant carpets of flowers. The ones in your home state are marvelous.
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lexklein said:
I’ve never lived anywhere where we had such a profusion of spring flowers! I will never move north again …
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Bespoke Traveler said:
😁
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twobrownfeet said:
I love it! Those pops of blue look gorgeous. Your pictures remind me of the fields of lupine in Iceland. 🙂 We have no trips planned for the next couple of months. So I have decided to become a tourist in Seoul. I think, those small escapes help us get through things. 🙂
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lexklein said:
I was so surprised to discover that the gorgeous purple lupines I’d admired in Iceland were related to these oceans of bluebonnets! I get the local tourism thing; in the last few months, I’ve explored my own state and a few nearby in the absence of any more exotic trips, too. It’s been fun, but I do look forward to a new setting soon (Italy in just a bit over a week!). 🙂
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Jane Lurie said:
Wonderful collection of bluebonnet photos, Lex. They are glorious. Lupines, Horsemint and Bluebonnets seem similar…I love all their colors!
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lexklein said:
I’ve decided I just really love all (or at least most) wildflowers! I especially appreciate their role in brightening and softening what would otherwise be harsh or boring roadside views. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
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Sue Slaght said:
What an incredible sight Lex. At first I thought they were planted fields of the blue beauty. Your pup and the bluebonnets could be a postcard. So adorable both of them.
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lexklein said:
Thanks, Sue! It was such a great day and in hindsight, I’m so glad I grabbed the dog at the end of the day and plunked her in there. We will need to say goodbye to her in the next few days, and I will forever cherish the sight of her here in our Texas flowers.
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Sue Slaght said:
Oh Lex I am sorry to hear that. So tough to say goodbye to these sweet ones in our lives. Sending hugs across the miles. Xo
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restlessjo said:
Sorry about your dog, too, Lexie. Hard to say goodbye. And you were so happy there among the blue bonnets. 🙂 🙂
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lexklein said:
Thank you so much, Jo. We said goodbye to her yesterday, and we are heartbroken that she is gone after 14.5 years in our life. Soon some of our pain and emptiness will lessen and we will have many happy memories to hold dear, including this wonderful day in the bluebonnets!
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
A road trip is balm for the soul indeed …as is any venture into Mother Nature’s glory. I so miss the foliage outside of the tropics and what Texas has on offer is spectacular. I’m glad that you captured these last beautiful shots of Wrigley and think of her running happily through endless fields of blue bonnets, tail wagging, and all legs operational again in puppy heaven. Lots of change for you these past few weeks. Thinking of you and Sending love and positivity from The Maldives.
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lexklein said:
My early spring anniversary of being one happy year in Texas was greeted by the burglary and the need to say goodbye to Wrigley, so it’s been a rough phase for sure. 😦 But life goes on and at the moment it is going on in Rome, which is a nice diversion. Now, the Maldives would be a much better diversion, but I can’t have everything! Enjoy – wow – sounds amazing!
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
How fortuitous that you had this get away scheduled. A little time away from home will help sooth you soul from your recent losses. I am more of a culture/city than a beach person, so I’m having a bit of ‘😍 Rome!’ location envy. At least I am in the company of two fine Italians enjoying a plate of pasta. And really, I can do with a bit of full-on travel detox sitting in empty anchorages with nothing to do but swim and admire the 50 shades of blue.
PS. Our Madagascar calendar is wide open for guests at the moment from mid-July to mid-September
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lexklein said:
That did pop into my mind … now it’s a matter of skipping town in the midst of helping plan our son’s wedding in September, but I’ll work on Madagascar possibilities when I get home!
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Lisa Dorenfest said:
Weddings can be all consuming so I can appreciate if the upcoming nuptials put short term travel plans on hold. Look forward to hearing whether Madagascar is workable, but if not, we will have many opportunities to travel together in the future 🚂🌏
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Madhu said:
Beautiful flower carpets. And beautiful photos of pup. You must miss her so 😦
I had to Google Indian paintbrush and Indian blanket! I know the latter as gaillardia, but have never heard or seen the former.
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lexklein said:
When I took that road trip, all I could think was that I needed to get home and plop the dog into those pretty flowers because I knew her time was short here. So glad I have these sweet memories.
The “Indian” in those names refers to Native Americans (you probably knew that) … I am clueless when it comes to plants and where they come from, but I assumed these were both North American species only. Do you have the latter in India, too?
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Eric Men said:
Nice photos! I have traveled thru many of the small towns making up Central Texas, although I haven’t gotten the chance to spend time checking out bluebonnets yet. What towns did you check out on this trip?
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lexklein said:
This particular trip was all about the fields and not really any towns, but the ones I was closest to were Brenham and Chappell Hill. I’ve since been back to both. I enjoy getting out of the city and out to these smaller places every so often!
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Half Glass Full said:
Nice write-up!
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lexklein said:
Thank you!
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