topic Re: Spring Bluebonnets in Community Chat

Spring Bluebonnets

On It — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:54:56 GMT

A few bluebonnets have started to bloom. These are really early, but someone asked last year when they bloom. They typically bloom in the latter part of March and into April in the Hill Country. They may be earlier this year. The restaurant in the photo is in Marble Falls, TX. If you find yourself there, do not drive past. The food and pies are the best!

The photo was taken by someone in Marble Falls.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

cheriere — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:54:56 GMT

@On It Those are beautiful! I sure hope we don't have any more hard frosts. The last couple years we've had some and it's kept a lot of flowers and my white peaches from growing.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

Carmie — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 17:05:57 GMT

They are pretty, I love the color of any blue flower.

My yard is still covered in a blanket of snow. No flowers are peeking through here.

I brought in some mandevillas and hibiscus plants last fall. All the leaves dropped and they looked dead. I watered them all winter and now I see they have new growth.

So, hurray, spring is coming.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

Kachina624 — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 17:27:56 GMT

@On It. Early one April, I took a road trip from Midland to Dallas on I-20. Usually long and tedious, this trip the bluebonnets and paintbrush were in bloom. I was enthralled the whole trip. I'll never forget how beautiful they were.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

MamaWick — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 17:51:14 GMT

Can't wait! Last year, our illustrious county road department dropped tons of chip and seal coat on a field near us, covering the huge bluebonnet field toward the end of their blooming. Our county commissioners got a lot of hate for it. After the chip and seal was used up, they were forced to come back, take care in getting the field back in shape, and then re-seed. I'm not holding my breath for blooms this season there, but look forward to the blooms in other areas.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

SaveTheTurtles — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 18:03:30 GMT

Very pretty! No flowers are blooming up here in WI yet. Going to get more snow next week. BUMMER

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

On It — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:06:14 GMT

@MamaWick I would have been upset, too. Those natural fields of bluebonnets are the most beautiful areas. I hope the seeds work, but we tried to establish bluebonnets at our home in the Hill Country and had very little luck.

Meanwhile, if you have not discovered the BlueBonnet cafe, the food is outstanding. I often had the chicken fried steak and coconut pie. Anything on the menu is good. You have to taste it to believe it. We would eat there, then drive to Llano to Cooper's BBQ. We did take out to have the next day. Their pork chop is not to be overlooked.

Enjoy Spring in the Hill Country. I miss being there this time of year.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

Burnsite — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:12:10 GMT

On it, thanks. Beautiful pictures!

I love the Emmy Lou Harris/Willie Nelson version of the song "Gulf Coast Highway," created by Nanci Griffith and James Hooker. It pays tribute to the bluebells and is sad but so beautiful/.

This is the last part of the song. Nelson and Harris's vocals are wonderful:

This is the only place on Earth blue bonnets grow
And once a year they come and go
At this old house here by the road

And when we die we say we'll catch some blackbird's wing
And we will fly away to heaven
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring.

Yes when we die we say we'll catch some blackbird's wing
And we will fly away together
Come some sweet blue bonnet spring

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

On It — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:27:51 GMT

@Burnsite It is a poignant song with beautiful lyrics. Willie did not stray from bluebonnet country. His home is in an area of abundant bluebonnets.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

beckyb1012 — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:40:42 GMT

The State flower of Texas. Love them.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

cheriere — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:46:00 GMT

The first of flowers to bloom here without fail is always around Easter, the yellow lily. They come up in fields, by the roadside, everywhere. I remember picking bouquets of them for my mother as a little girl.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

Enufstuff — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 21:47:38 GMT

@On It Those flowers are beautiful, such a gorgeous shade of blue.

Living in the Northeast and never having traveled to Texas, I have not seen Bluebonnets before. So pretty.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

On It — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 21:43:11 GMT

@Enufstuff wrote:
@On It Those flowers are beautiful, such a gorgeous shade of blue.

Living in the Northeast and never having traveled to Texas, i have not seen Bluebonnets before. So pretty.

I am glad you saw these. In the areas of Texas that are primarily ranch land, the bluebonnets cover large patches of the land. It looks like a huge blue lake. They bloom in the spring, go to seed, and are not seen until the next spring. Ranchers consider them a weed because cattle won't eat them. A field of bluebonnets is pictured below.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

Enufstuff — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 21:46:27 GMT

@MamaWick That is so sad that uninformed people make such decisions. They have no conception of what they are doing to the environment. They probably don't even care.

Many plants and flowers, lost forever. Such destruction !

That in turn, affect all the animals. I hope that some of your bluebonnets come back.

So many species of birds and insects are now extinct and many more endangered as their habitat is being destroyed.

As more building of McMansions around here, have taken habitat, we are seeing animals who have lost their homes.

We have turkeys, coyotes, wild cats, deer that were never seen around here before. Coyotes have taken many cats and small dogs. We can no longer let them out. I had a cat taken in 2006.

My cats always loved running and exploring our property, hiding in the gardens, climbing the trees and lounging on our wrap around porches. No more. Now, they can only look out the windows.

With so many flowers being lost, the bees are endangered by that and chemicals that people are using kills the bees and other insects. We don't see as many butterflies anymore.

Humans are slowly killing Mother earth. It is very sad to see.

Re: Spring Bluebonnets

Enufstuff — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 21:50:13 GMT

@On It That is amazing!

In a town, not far from us, is a field as large as that, just filled with sunflowers, every year. People travel there to see it.