I thought I would share my early 2010 wildflower scouting trip with you and my findings are generally very encouraging for the areas that I visited.  First the bad news – there will be no flowers along FM1488 from FM2978 to Moyston Drive this year due to widening construction.

I found lots of small bluebonnet rosettes at US 290 and TX 6 in Hempstead even though all the Lawrence Marshall car dealerships are gone.  At Jingle Bell Lane just outside of Hempstead on TX 159 there were scattered sand bluebonnet rosettes.  The field in front of the white church just off TX 159 in Nelsonville is void of any bluebonnet rosettes but is covered with Henbit.  At Main and TX 159 just as you enter Industry the phlox are already starting to bloom.  There are lots of bluebonnet rosettes here and up the hill to the church.  All along Main there already nice big bunches of baby blue eyes in bloom.  The old white house with the outside water pump is now occupied and the yard is mowed – too bad.

LaGrange looks real good along TX 71 and US 77 with a few bluebonnets already in bloom and tons of rosettes the size of an adults hand.  Round Top had a nice bunch of wildflowers already in bloom, Henbit, wind flowers, bunches of a very small blue star shaped flower (smaller than a pencil eraser), bunches of small white flowers (maybe storks bill or sand bells?) and big bluebonnet rosettes in the church graveyard.

Off of Scenic 390 at Zibilski Road “THE FIELD” is showing good promise with lots of bluebonnet rosettes.  Old Baylor is covered with wind flowers.  There were many bluebonnet rosettes but I could only find one bluebonnet in bloom in the entire field.  There were a few Indian paint brush in bloom near the bright blue house in Independence.

It was a beautiful day (a little windy) for a drive in the country and I was please with the early progress of the 2010 wildflower crop.  You can view 25 photos that I took along the way at:
http://grigsbys.smugmug.com/Texas-Wildflowers/Spring-2010/Spring-2010/11374839_kuWKe#799117896_HmhuB

 

I think this is the video that was the one Murry talked about in the forum.

I was in South Texas and saw some Bluebonnets. I saw lots of thick seedlings too all along the highway.

Went to Brenham area for New Years Eve and New Years Day, went looking for rossettes after breakfast on New Years Day. Saw lots by the way and one ambitious critter even had a bloom. How bout that a New Years Day bonnet, that's gotta be some kind of good sign if your in to superstitious New Years Day stuff. Anyway I think there's gonna be a bumper crop of wildflowers this year.

I'm not a photographer or bluebonnet enthusiast, so I don't know how technically great these bluebonnets were, but I was on the lookout for a nice field on a drive from Galveston to Dallas.  I spotted a nice field off I45 which was adjacent to a Chili's parking lot in Corsicana, and spotted a family taking photos in the field.  I thought it was nice to see bluebonnets that you wouldn't have to brave highway traffic to get close to. 

This area rec'd 1 1/2 inches of rain from 3/13/2009  to 3/14/2009 which should help bring on more blooms.

Also, more popping up along HWY.290 and along FM 389.

The bluebonnets are almost perfect right now in the garden.  From the entrance walk straight back past the koi pond through the covered seating area to the left past the small fountains.  Both blue and pink bonnets are in good shape.  Also if you'd like a great scent of grape KoolAide check out the Texas Maountain Laurel at the front right of the garden but hurry they are on the down side of blooming.  One other location you might try for bluebonnets is Creekside Park in The Woodlands.  One corner of the park is planted each year in bluebonnets.  I45 to Woodlands Parkway, left on Gosling and then right on CreekSide to the park.

Anyone have any suggestions for bluebonnet photo locations for the Houston area??

 

>>Editor<<

Check the report filed by Murry below. The best areas for bluebonnets in the Houston area are usually close to Brenham or between Brenham and the Woodlands.
This year because of the lack of rain it will be hit and miss, so check our forums at: http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums . As reports come in they will be posted there as well as here.

Most good patches of bluebonnets are along the roadsides or in the medians like along US290 from Hempstead to Chappell Hill the exception is Lake Dr @ West Hilltop Dr in the Chappell Hills subdivision where there is a full field of good rosettes and 2% blooms.  Nice patches along Flewellen and Winston Drives and TX105.  Scenic TX390 is pretty bare with few rosettes in the fields. Old Baylor 2% in bloom with small rosettes and flowers.  It is very dry and gets drier as you go south.  Good roadside bluebonnets along US71 between TX159 and US 77.  The south banks are doing much better than the north side with big plants and blooms maybe at 2%.  Industry is not looking good and very dry.  Big field at Main is almost devoid of any wildflowers and the empty house at Main and Schamm is now occupied and their yard is closely mowed.  Lots of "Burn Ban" signs and not many signs of wildflowers south of Brenham!  I know it is early but without any rain this season could be a bust?

This is an excellent showing for so early and considering the rough treatment from Ike's cleanup.  I wouldn't drive too far to see these yet but if you're in the neighborhood bring your camera :0)  I'm guessing one to two percent in bloom but the bonnets along Terramont are big and fresh.

they are in my backyard. very good showing this year.  the last few years they have been very spotty. popped up in the worst soil in backyard.

Small field bluebonnets on the east side of Loop 1605 between Hwy 161 and Culebra.

 

Google Maps link:

 

They were thick in spots but really pretty!

With the exception of only a handful of small patches along the roads listed above, I saw virtually no signs of bluebonnets. The Willow City Loop was bare. My favorite wildflower field off of Hwy 29 was bare. What's going on? I don't know. Perhaps Austin got a lot more rain than the hill country. Maybe this week's rains might help. I was very disappointed and depressed about it all.

 

Editor: Bluebonnets are very dependent on fall rains. Without good fall rain, the bluebonnet plants will not germinate. All of Texas received less than normal rainfall during Sep-Nov 2007. The Hill Country received even less. This left us with few seedlings to start with. The winter rainfall from mid-Feb to end of March is needed to help the seedlings develop into mature healthy plants. The Hill Country received less than normal rainfall during the winter. Any rainfall now will not result in more bluebonnet seedlings, but could help improve the May-June wildflower display. Also, any perennial plants (like paintbrush and showy primrose) will also benefit from recent rainfall. The best areas this year will be Brenham and Ennis...and even those areas might not see an average display of bluebonnets.  Check our forums for recent sightings:
http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums/

 

3 miles north of Johnson City, follow road to Sandy.  12 to 14 miles of gorgeous bluebonnets...some poppys, yellows and a few paintbrush as well

Tuesday (4/10/2007) I traveled to Mason County. I am very happy to report that the recent snow and sleet had little or no negative effect on the wildflowers I saw. The coverage in the northern routes that I traveled was equal to and in some cases more than in 2004. To me the coverage this is year far exceeds that of 2005 and certainly 2006. Not all areas are necessarily experiencing a better year, but even in the less covered areas the coverage was much better then 2006. Coverage along RR-1900 exceeds that of any area I have seen this year with the exception of parts of Keyserville road in Loyal Valley. The best locations are in the northern part of Mason County with the exception of Keyserville Road in Loyal Valley. I did not travel all of the southern routes, but I saw enough to tell you that the northern parts are doing much better. For the complete report with photos see: http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums/2023/ShowPost.aspx

 

I took a hurried scouting trip to Marble Falls, Burnet and Kingsland. Overall the theme of the trip was "hit and miss" with some spots with no bluebonnets and others heavily covered. The good news is that the famous house just north of Marble Falls along US 281 is once again surrounded by a field of bluebonnets. For the full report see:

 

I received an email report from Mason Chamber of Commerce concerning the bluebonnets in Mason County.

Bluebonnets are blooming well in the Northeast and Northwest part of Mason County.

Details see:

 

On Tuesday, 4/3/2007, I took a scouting trip to Sandy, Texas via RR-1320 and RR-1323. This is the original route of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Loop.

 

In banner years, the bluebonnets along RR-1323 and RR-1320 near Sandy can put on display like Willow City. Growing in red sandy soil much like that along the northend of Willow City Loop, the bluebonnets near Sandy only need a little rain to get growing tall and big.  This year is not a banner year in Sandy, but for the first time in several years the roadsides and some fields have a fairly good coverage of bluebonnets.  The coverage is about on par with the north end of Willow City Loop, but a bit less than what I saw along RR-2323.  The good news is that there are places to stop along RR-1320. (At Willow City Loop, stopping along the Loop is discouraged. )

 

Read the entire report and view the photos at:

We have had several reports reports on the Brenham - Industry areas filed in the forums at WildflowerHaven Community. Bill Purcell and Gary Regner have provided maps with their reports. You can view these reports at the East Texas forum:

Sunday 4/1/2007, I took a scouting trip covering RR-2323, Prairie Mountain, US 71, Enchanted Rock SNA and Willow City Loop. You can read the entire report and view photos from my trip at:

 

71 between Austin and Bastrop began to show numerous Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush in the road ditches.  We saw lots of BBs and pink primroses around Fayette Lake.  Actually we saw multitudes of many different kinds of blooms all along the route.  The old part of the Catholic Cemetery in Frelsburg is literally covered in BBs and some Paintbrush, well worth stopping.  New Ulm was wonderful as well, just going through on 109.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to investigate Industry as I had planned because of car trouble.  Independence was a little disappointing, perhaps it was still too early.  The church at Antique Rose Emporium and a nearby house usually have a yard full of BBs and Paintbrushes, but not this year.  Also, Old Baylor Park was a bit sparse.  The biggest thrill was taking 2769 off of 290 a few miles west of Brenham.  Zionville had a nice showing of BBs and Paintbrushes in the area.  Taking side roads as suggested by Bill Purcell really paid off.  We saw acres and acres of blue.  I had never seen such a thing!  Check out my shot in the Brenham section of photos of the huge Yucca plant in bloom in a pasture full of BBS.

See photos at:

 

I got a phone report of bluebonnet fields near Simmons, Texas (Ten Miles southwest of Three Rivers, 84 miles south of San Antonio) along FM-1042. See details at WildflowerHaven Community:

 

There are truly huge fields of Bluebonnets, some as far as the eye can see.  Absolutely breathtaking and you can literally smell the aroma of the wildflowers, making you wish you could bottle it and take it home with you.

 

Edited: Thank you Ted. This is southwest of San Antonio toward Floresville, correct?

After a few years of dismal showing, bluebonnets have returned to FM-1283. FM-1283 is the main route to Medina Lake on the west-northwest side of San Antonio.

While not at the coverage back in the banner years of 1999 and 2000, there are a few stretches where the coverage is 60-70%. See full report with photos at:

Bluebonnets are showing up in the medians of Loop 1604 between Braun Rd and Bandera Rd. Coverage varies from a few moderately covered stretches to areas less than 20% covered. Blooms are still early, but it looks like most of the plants have buds that will bloom soon. There were also several mature blooms mixed in with the others.

 

I also saw patches of bluebonnet plants along Bandera Road between Loop 1604 and where Braun Road intersects with Bandera Road. (Braun Road runs diagonally from Bandera Road to Loop 1604.

 

Unfortunately, both Loop 1604 and Bandera Road are much too congested to safely stop or slow down.

Photo: http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/photos/south_texas/images/1814/700x500.aspx

Indian paint brush and crovich along FM242, corn flowers and bluebonnets along Grogans Mill and blueblonnets along Woodlands Parkway.  Our warm dry stretch ended with a rainstorm last night. Plants look big and healthy!

I made my pre-season visit to Willow City Loop on Saturday, 3/10/2007. While this year is not likely to be a banner year for Willow City Loop bluebonnets, there are enough rosettes present to produce a good showing along several sections of the Loop. I would expect that good bloom coverage will begin around April 1st and continue through April 15th with the peak around April 8th – 9th.

Complete report with photos can be read at:

 

City: San Antonio

I spotted several early bluebonnet blooms in the medians of Loop 1604 on the northside near O'Connor Road. The number of plants seems to be much smaller than in previous years, so the coverage will not be as good.

I think this is the earliest that I have spotted bluebonnet blooms in the San Antonio area. This is likely due to the erratic weather we have had with swings between really warm nights/days to cold nights/warm days.

On the south facing slopes of the highway I saw the early stages of blooms.  This was over a week ago so things have most likely progressed. 

One of our community members has posted a very detailed seedling report for the Brenham/Bellville area. Visit:

to read the full report.

Above normal rainfall in the past 30 days has created an explosion of wildflowers in the northern Hill Country counties of Llano and San Saba. The predominant colors are red and yellow. Areas along SH-16 and RR-501 near Cherokee look like scenes from a watercolor book.

See: Wildflower Explosion in Llano - San Saba Counties
http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums/1243/ShowPost.aspx

On my way back from Dallas this past weekend, I spotted a section of I-35 just south of Salado that was filled with mealy sage and yellow prickly cactus. Just down the road from that spot was a large stretch of firewheels.

Full report with photos posted at: http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums/1229/ShowPost.aspx

 

Industry and Bleiblerville areas remain excellent. See here for details. http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums/1094/ShowPost.aspx#1094

We spent Tuesday, mostly in Washington County, chasing bluebonnets and the news is still good for this area.  I’ll just share the highlights.  FM1155 from TX105 to US290 is excellent.  Lots of full big patches of roadside bluebonnets and several full fields.

Editor's note: Read Murry's full and several others in the East Texas Sightings forum at:

 

Wow, when it was good it was very good. Too many locations to mention, just follow the route. The Brenham East route is pretty good in spots but not as awesome as industry. I only have a few pictures posted but will be adding more later this week. Flower Gallery Here.  (http://ed-cooley.com/cgi-bin/gallery/index.cgi?mode=album&album=./Texas%20Wildflowers)

 

Thanks to Bill Purcell for his excellent scouting reports, it made all the difference for a first time visitor.

 

Editor's note: You can read several full reports in the East Texas Sightings forum at:
http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums/7/ShowForum.aspx

Bluebonnet covered fields can be seen along the service road of I-10 beginning at exit 668 just west of Schulenburg to Schulenburg US 77 exit. For updated report (4/10/2006) with photos see:

 

Conditions around Lake Buchanan are not very good this year for bluebonnets or other wildflowers. The fields where it were full of bluebonnets last year are empty.

For the best displays of wildflowers head to Washington and Austin counties. Areas around Brenham, Chappell Hill, Hempstead, and Industry have an abundance of wildflowers. There are many big fields of bluebonnets and other wildflowers in some areas. Many large fields of bluebonnets can be seen along Hwy290 starting west of Brenham and continuing towards Houston. Peak appears to be now and perhaps for another week. This appears to be a banner year for this area, and things have improved significantly over the last week.

Conditions are Willow City Loop are not very good this year for bluebonnets or other wildflowers. The best I saw was along the south end of the Loop where the road rises from the valley going south. Bluebonnets were lining the roadsides along that section of the Loop. For a detail report with photos see:

 

A huge field of bluebonnets is located along FM-78 near the town of Cibolo. See photo at:

 

The best patches of bluebonnets are on both side of the bridge over the lake at Northshore park and then just to the north off of LWP at Indian Springs Road.  If we get rain this week it should extend our blooms some but they are really at their prime right now, 3/25/06.

Great year in Brenham and Chappell Hill, many fields are now starting to bloom. Gorgeous year! Hwy 105, 1155, Hwy 290. Bring your camera! It's beautiful in the Birthplace of Texas!

Highway 6 from 290 to Navasota is covered in Blue Bonnets. I have never seen the Highway covered like this even in banner years. North of Navasota to College Station there is nothing!105 East of 6 has blooms also. 362 has a few small patches and some Spider Lilies down towards 1488, but nothing to brag on. The dead end road off of 362 that I reported the BlueBells on last year has a colony of Blue Bonnets that are just starting to flower. They should be good for picture taking in 2 weeks.

Spotty patches of Bluebonnets surrounded by very dry vegetation.

Drove up to Llano yesterday on Rt. 29 and was surprised to see roadsides full of Bluebonnets.  One spot actually had bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush up.  Checked the Sullivan's property and nothing is up there yet.

Lots of Blue Bonnets along the roadsides and plenty of other flowers statring to show. It's been dry, but you can really see how the Texas DOT's work over the past decades is paying off. The fields may not be full like other years, but the roadsides are starting to look real good.

Only small clumps observed currently.  Not enough for good people picture taking yet.  Most of them were in the middle of the road...not easily accessible.

Wildflowers:  For anyone in the Houston area Mercer Gardens has a nice display of bluebonnets and mountain laurel in bloom right now.

The Mercer link is:http://www.hcp4.net/mercer/ ; I know they are exactly wildflowers but for those that can't get out to the country this is a great location to enjoy some of our Texas floral stars!  The Azaleas are also full out and there are many other rare flowers, bushes and trees in bloom.  Enjoy!

I took several drives on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to check out the bluebonnet clover. It's all over the place and in some areas it's thicker then I've ever seen it. There are small clumps of Firewheels and Showy primrose in several locations. Lots of the Firewheels on beltway 8 just south of W little York on the North and South bound Feeder. Might not be a banner year but it should be good.