Searching for the best (and safest) backdrops in the state for beholding the blooms and capturing wildflower photos? Look past busy roadsides and toward the 89 state parks found throughout Texas, a state that’s blessed with an extraordinary amount of plant diversity. Time your trip with the official Bluebonnet Festival of Texas, taking place in Chappell Hill April 9 and 10, check out Brenham’s Wildflower Watch for driving maps and sightings, and stop by Brenham’s Visitor Center to get directions to the best bluebonnet locations this season. But all bets are off if we get a late hard freeze, or worse, no rain in March and April.” “What should be more noticeable are the mixtures of wildflowers –– Indian paintbrush, Grape hyacinth, Coreopsis, evening primroses and such –– blooming alongside the bluebonnets instead of the weeks following.

“I think peak blooms for the state will be a week or so later than normal –– for Brenham and Austin corridors, April 1 through the 10, and west of there, a week later for the peak,” says Shoup, adding that the recent cold weather will squeeze wildflowers into blooming closer together this year. Warm December weather followed by a generally cold January and February will create more of an intensity of diverse blooms that are starting their race to flower a bit later than usual, according to Shoup. Credit Visit BrenhamĬruise along the flowering farm roads starting in Brenham and winding through Burton, Independence, Washington and Chappell Hill and back to Brenham, but push this year’s road trip to April. Time your drive through Bluebonnet Country with the annual Bluebonnet Festival. A banner bloom to look out for this year, according to the horticulturist, are Texas mountain laurels, which were wiped out last year due to winter storm Uri but already have a plethora of flowering buds. “I predict bluebonnets will be showing up in patches by the end of March, with the peak for Central Texas happening early- to mid-April.”Īnnual wildflowers, like bluebonnets, tend to be more negatively impacted by the drought whereas the perennial wildflowers such as Engelmann daisies, Mexican hat and salvias tend to fare better, adds DeLong-Amaya.

“In the fall, we were in a drought throughout much of the state when flowers were starting to germinate, and we are still in a drought over much of Texas,” says DeLong-Amaya, adding that January’s rains in Central Texas have helped early season wildflowers like bluebonnets, which are already beginning to flower in small numbers. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center offers a picturesque and safe spot to capture spring bluebonnet photos.

Bluebonnets and indian paintbrush