Wildflowers

During the springtime, Texas is alive with wildflowers—even in an extended dry period, as we have been experiencing. I remember reading a number of years ago that a two-volume work on wildflowers had been published and one volume was exclusively devoted to the wildflowers of Texas. I am not sure why wildflowers are so plentiful in Texas, but the natural displays have been supplemented in recent years by mass seedings. Of course, if there is no rain to sprout the seeds, they just lie dormant for another year.

Old timers tell us that this is not a good year for wildflowers—no surprise given the sparse rainfall—but nevertheless we are seeing a number of new and interesting displays along the roads we travel. We will be driving to East Texas next weekend to visit my brother, and we have chosen a circuitous route in hopes of increasing the possibility of viewing broad expanses of different species.

The doyenne of wildflowers is the late Lady Bird Johnson, who began the highway beautification projects when she was First Lady. After President Johnson left office, Lady Bird devoted much of her time and energy to wildflowers, and there is a major wildflower research center in Austin that bears her name. We have not been there yet, but hope to visit it soon.

In the meantime, as we drive along country roads and highways, we are keeping our eyes peeled for the most recent eruptions of roadside beauty.