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tours around bluebonnet’s annual arrival.
Continued from the previous page
These perky plants have been loved since
people traveled across the vast prairies of
Texas. Early-day Spanish priests called
these flowering gems el conejo, or rabbit,
and would gather bluebonnet seeds to plant
around their missions. Pre-Colombian
Native Americans mention bluebonnets
in their folklore and used the petals to
adorn their habitats.
During the 1930s, the Texas Department
of Transportation (TxDOT) was first in
our nation to launch a wildflower program.
TxDOT discovered that, by encouraging
the growth of wildflowers along the state’s
right of ways, they could reduce soil erosion
while also helping to conserve the native
plants. Today, TxDOT sows roughly
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PHOTO BY SHERRY MCRAE
30,000 pounds of wildflower seeds along
800,000 miles of right of way every year.
Timing is critical if you want to enjoy the
sight of these wonderful floral jewels. The
peak bloom time for bluebonnets ranges
from late February to July, depending
upon the region, but the best area to see
sprawling fields of blooming bluebonnets
is Central Texas, typically in early to late 512-756-4297
spring. Keep in mind that nature does not
guarantee what region may be blessed
with lavish blooms in any given year. The
amount of rain, mineral composition of
the soil, loss of habitat and unpredictable
temperatures can cause coverage to vary
drastically from year to year.
To help you discover the sight seen only in
Texas, many locations offer festivals and
Ennis, Texas, for example, has a free,
three-day (Friday-Sunday) festival every
April. Designated the Official Bluebonnet
City of Texas, the Ennis Chamber of
Commerce offers a tour map featuring 40
miles of the best bluebonnet sites around.
This map is available as a free download
at www.bluebonnettrail.org.
Burnet County is recognized as the
Bluebonnet Co-capital of Texas (Llano
County also shares the honorific). Their
34th Annual Bluebonnet Festival will take
place April 7-9 this year with plenty of
activities for all ages, including live music,
a carnival, Wiener Dog Races and more.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
in Austin, Texas focuses on research and
education to help create a more sustainable
earth. Bluebonnets can be found throughout
their 279 acre garden in April. They offer
educational walks and trails.
Texans’ passion for bluebonnets has
helped to define our state’s culture, as
is well known beyond our borders. As
historian Jack Maguire once said, “The
bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock
is to Ireland, the lily to France, the rose to
England and the tulip to Holland. It is a
Texas floral trademark as well-known as
cowboy boots and the Stetson hat.”
For more information
on bluebonnets contact:
Big Bend National Park
Jeannette Jurado, Park Ranger
432-477-2251
nps.gov/bibe
Ennis Convention & Visitors Bureau
972-878-4748
bluebonnettrail.org
Burnet Chamber of Commerce
bluebonnetfestival.org
Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center
4801 La Crosse Avenue
Austin, Texas
512-232-0114
wildflower.org/project_tag/trail
ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG