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.

Note: Most of the image files below are 30-50 KB (jpeg format)

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!
7. Brown-eyed Susans ...a common sight in Texas
8. Indian Blankets ...sometimes called "firewheels"
9. Wild 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?
13. Wild Rose of Texas ...this one is now buried under HWY 290
14. East Texas Dogwood ...you can see 'em scattered in the woods
15. More Dogwoods ...looking up through the tree.
16. Blue-Eyed Grass ...find 'em under your feet.
17. "Fairy Stars" ...the real name is unknown to us.
18. Foxglove ...Deadly but beautiful
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.
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
31. Texas Mountain Laurel ...smells like grape bubblegum
32. Dewberries ...by May, they'll be the preferred diet of all the birds
33. More Dewberries ...often stretch along fences for tens of miles
34. East Texas Spider Lilies ...found in swampy areas -- 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 took the trees, and the flowers took advantage.
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 stretched for miles along the roadway
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.
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 ft tall and likewise across.
52. Clammy Weed ...loves hot weather and smells like salad peppers.
53. False Ragweed ...2 ft high plant with tiny califlower-like blossoms.
54. Lantana ...mockingbirds eat the berries so that every fence has lantana.
55. Possumhaw Berries....because in Texas we need color in winter, too.
56. Maximillian Daisys ....our autumn sunflower.
57. Purple-headed Sneezeweed ....and rather strong smelling.
58. Indian Paintbrush ....viewed from directly above.
59. Poverty Weed ....catching the south Texas sunlight
60. Mimosa Tree ....and it's blossom; common in Central Texas
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-shaped blossoms
64. Pincushion Daisies ....petal-less flower with a wonderful fragrance
65. Pampas Grass ....soft as silk plumes
66. Yaupon Holly ....growing in a little depression in a huge volcanic rock.
67. Bee Bush ...a common shrub that attracts bees.
68. Salvia Sage...a hill-country surprise.
69. Frostweed...for autumn butterflies.
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.
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.
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 all 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 1-1/2 foot high.
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.
91. False Gaura ...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 them in the friendly shade of trees.
96. Frog's Fruit...a common ground cover, sometimes pink, commonly white.
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 are almost metallic in sunlight.
101. Maximilian Sunflower ...a favorite autumn flower.
102. Texas Lantana...the common, wild orange variety.
103. Unknown Treasure...a cliff-dweller discovered in the Texas hill-country.
104. Texas Asters...a fall and winter flower.
105. Turkish Hat ...on woods' edge; a remarkable flower.
106. Mexican Hat ...normally a summer flower; very common.
107. Thoroughwort ...a butterfly's delight in autumn.

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