Bluebonnets

Spring-like weather beckoned me to mow the lawn for the first time this season. It went fast, since the only green grass is a native variety that grows sparse, early and fast and then dies back about the time the St. Augustine sod comes on.

Spring is becoming evident in other parts of my lot also. Flowering Quince, Daffodils, and Forsythia are adding color to the otherwise brown and gray yard, but my favorite place is a large mound of dirt that was removed when the pool was dug. It lies along one side of my back fence and has been planted with wildflowers for three years now. Between volunteer seeds and the couple of packages I sow every fall, there are now tens of thousands of new plants sprouting and getting ready to bloom.

My favorite Texas wildflower is the Bluebonnet, and with all the rains last year the fields of blue should be spectacular this spring. I have a few wild bluebonnets on my lot, but two years ago I planted a few more seeds on the dirt pile. Last year a few bloomed, but I’m hoping to see many more in about 3 weeks.

This photo is probably from down in Central Texas, where you find the most bluebonnets.

Here's another Texas native from one of my favorite cities up in the panhandle...Amarillo...singing about our official flower.