Texas (and especially central Texas) is blessed with an immense variety of native wildflower species. In late January, the keen observer will notice the arrival of several small varieties of low growing flowers, and around mid-February the native redbuds and wild plum trees will begin to offer their welcoming blossoms to the coming spring. By mid-April, the bluebonnets and indian-paintbrush will color the roadsides of east Texas, and adorn the hills of central Texas. And while these spectacular displays will catch the eyes of even the most casual traveler, the more astute wildflower lover will likewise revel in the hundreds of delightful species that are sprinkled in the fields and ditches and shadows and, yes, even among the bluebonnets and indian paintbrush. The bluebonnets will begin to fade around the first or second week of May, but there will be a multitude of colorful flowers to take their place. In fact, the wildflowers have been known to surprise a good many observers all the way up to Christmas.

So, if you enjoy these photographic samples, consider how much more you'll delight in the vistas of color, the fragrances of spring, and the warm breezes of summer, in person, and consider visiting our remarkable state. Meanwhile, hop in the "virtual" car and take a little ride with us (with our windows down, of course) through the wildflowers of Texas.

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1. Bluebonnets ... State Flower of Texas -- on the rocks!
2. Bluebonnet Panorama ... or why people flock to Texas in April
3. Wild Phlox ... red phlox and bluebonnets!
4. Texas DYCs & etc ... what botanists call 'damn yellow composites'
5. Winecups ... a variation of primrose -- savor the color!
6. Yellow Primrose ... Texas' Buttercups!

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7. Brown-eyed Susans ... a common summer sight in Texas
8. Indian Blankets ... sometimes called 'firewheels'
9. Horsemint ... and they smell like summer
10. Prickly Pear Cactus ... watch your step!
11. Wild Peach Blossoms ... pretty as a -- well, you know!
12. Wild Creek Plums ... can't you smell 'em?

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13. Wild Rose of Texas ... this one is now buried under HWY 290
14. East Texas Dogwood ... you can find 'em scattered in the woods
15. More Dogwoods ... looking up through the tree
16. Blue-Eyed Grass ... but please don't walk on 'em!
17. Fairy Stars' ... the real name is unknown to us
18. Foxglove ... deadly but beautiful

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19. Wild Pink Phlox ... East Texas springtime eye-pleasers
20. Evening Primrose ... dancing in the Texas breezes
21. Spiderwort and Clover ... sweet, rosy smells of summer
22. Peppermint Peach Trees ... OK, OK! They're not wild.
23. White Bluebonnets "... actually, a very nicely integrated community."
24. Wild Red Phlox ... much redder than the scanner can capture

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25. Puccoons "... a delightful, frilly surprise"
26. Rose Gentian ... delicate smelling resident of roadside ditches
27. Red Poppies ... East Texas roadside wonder
28. Pink (or False) Mimosa ... and Blue Celestials
29. Prairie Paintbrush ... sometimes seen in other colors, too.
30. More Yellow Composites ... you pick a name

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31. Texas Mountain Laurel ... smells like grape bubblegum
32. Dewberries ... by may, they'll be the preffered diet of all the birds.
33. More Dewberries ... often stretch along fences for tens of miles
34. Spider Lilies ... found in East Texas swamps -- doesn't even look real, does it?
35. Golden Flax ... worth looking for among the showier flowers
36. Yellow fields under dead Oaks ... oak wilt tooks the trees, and the flowers took advantage.

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37. Claret Cup Cactus ... sometimes known as strawberry cactus
38. Prairie Verbena ... very common in central Texas
39. Lazy Daisy (I think) ... for a lazy summer day
40. Cone Flowers (I think) ... in panoramic view
41. Retama (tree) ... viewed against the Texas sky.
42. Wild Sweet Alyssum ... this stretch for miles along the highway

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43. Can't name it! ... but it sure is pretty.
44. Prickly Poppy ... pretty, but don't like to be picked
45. White Poppies and Yellow Composites ... a pasture brimming with 'em.
46. Red Buckeye ... they love the woods
47. Guara Grass ... pretty and plentiful in Central Texas
48. Albino Indian Paintbrush ... normally bright red, an albino is an uncommon sight.

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49. Blackfoot Daisy ... hearty, prefers the rocky soil of the Texas hill country
50. Scarlet Cypress ... a flower, not a tree, about 4 feet tall.
51. Indian Mustard ... one plant shown, about 4 feet tall and likewise across
52. Clammy Weed ... loves hot weather and smells like salad peppers.
53. False Ragweed ... 2 ft hight plant with tiny califlower-like blossoms
54. Lantana ... mockingbirds eat the berries so that every fence has lantana

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55. Possumhaw Berries ... because in Texas, we need color in winter, too.
56. Maximillian Daisy ... our autumn sunflower
57. Purple-headed Sneezeweed ... and rather strong-smelling.
58. Indian Paintbrush ... a surreal view from directly above.
59. Poverty Weed ... catching the south Texas sunlight
60. Mimosa Tree ... and its blossom; common in Central Texas

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61. Mexican Buckeye ... pretty blossoms, but DO NOT eat the nuts (hard-learned lesson)
62. Creek Plums ... a sure sign that spring is here
63. Huisache Tree ... very sweet-smelling, mustard-gold, ball-shapped blossoms
64. Pincushion Daisy ... petal-less flower with a wonderful fragrance
65. Pampas Grass ... soft as silk plumes.
66. Yaupon Holly Berries ... in a little depression in a huge volcanic rock

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67. Bee Bush ... a common shrub that attracts bees like crazy.
68. Salvia Sage ... a hill country surprise
69. Frostweed ... for autumn butterfies
70. Sharp Pod Morning Glory ... if you're lucky, they'll pick your front yard
71. Sawtooth Daisy ... petal-less variation
72. Lindheimmer Senna ... pretty, but not a nice smell

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73. Snow-on-the-Mountain ... and see why they call it that.
74. Snow-on-the-Mountain ...close-up view; the milky juice is an irritant.
75. Snow-on-the-Prairie ... longer leaves than snow-on-the-mountain
76. Purple Dalia ... massed in nature's astounding way
77. Plateau Agalinis ... en masse, the purple stems may dominate the flowers
78. Rose Palafoxia ... just plain pretty, delicate flowers

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79. Gay Feathers ... this fall delight colors the roadsides in the hill-country.
80. Cardinal Flower ... blazing color, about 3-4 feet tall
81. Broomweed ... each plant is a fall bouquet by itself
82. Green-Eyed Daisy ... a fall flower as pretty as its name.
83. Goldenrod ... brilliant color, but what an (allergy) instigator
84. Vervain ... this variety grows to be about 1-2 feet tall

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85. Passion Vine ... a wild, cream-colored variant of the spectacular cultivated flower
86. Pennyroyal ... a delightful, delicate flower
87. Water Primrose ... often seen near ponds and in ditches
88. Burr Thistle ... we saw a stunning purple field of these
89. Miles of Sunflowers ... a panorama of Texas sunflowers
90. Texas Sunflower ... sunny smiles all summer and fall

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91. False Guara ... often 5-6 feet tall, along the roadsides
92. Texas Nightshade ... little teeny bees like these
93. Mountain Pinks ... nature's bouquet, normally blooms in June & July.
94. Basket Flower ... one of our favorite fragrances
95. Pigeon Berry ... look for 'em in the friendly shade of trees
96. Frog's Fruit ... a common ground cover, sometimes pink, commonly white

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97. Sorrel ... a beautiful, resilient ground cover sometimes mistaken for a weed.
98. Old Man's Beard ... a strange flowering vine, very common
99. Bull Nettle ... if you touch it, you will pay!
100. Silver-Leaf Nightshade ... the leaves look almost metallic in sunlight
101. Maximillian Sunflower ... a favorite autumn flower
102. Texas Lantana ... the common, orange/pink/yellow variety

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103. Unknown Treasure ... a cliff-dweller discovered in the Texas hill-country
104. Texas Asters ... a fall and winter flower
105. Turkish Hat ... on wood's edge, a remarkable flower
106. Mexican Hat ...normally a summer flower; very common.
107. Thoroughwort ... a butterfly's delight in autumn

yecchh!... poor... fair... good... great!

Overseers: Monty Northrup & Carolyn Blankenship

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