Wildflower Season

Every spring, the hills in and around Austin spring to life into a rainbow of colors. The Texas wildflower season is frequently influenced, or hampered, by a lack of rain the year before or the winter before the flowers are expected to bloom. Fortunately, even in off years, the flowers will appear to a certain degree.

The wildflowers east of the city are primarily bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes. Throughout the rest of the state, poppies, bluebonnets, buttercups, and more Indian paintbrushes are visible. Many of the grassy areas around highways are full of bluebonnets and a variety of other flowers.

In the 1960s, when Lady Bird Johnson was filling the role of First Lady, there was a lot of attention given to the ideal of beautifying the nation’s highways and roadways. Part of this included removing many of the unsightly billboards from along the highways.

Another way of beautifying the nation’s highways was through planting grasses and sowing seeds of a variety of wildflowers native to the state in which the highway was found. Texas took to the initiative with gusto. The state enacted rules against mowing along the highways during wildflower season. For this reason, if the grasses along the side of the road in spring look a little scraggly, it is not because Texas doesn’t like giving the grass a haircut. It is because of the rules against mowing.

The rules for mowing were enacted in an effort to ensure that the wildflowers get the most opportunity to grow. When they are allowed to grow, the flowers can be enjoyed by the largest number of people. In addition, they are allowed to form seeds and create flowers for next year.

Contact an Austin Real Estate Agent

For the best places in and around Austin to see the wildflowers, contact the Austin real estate agents at The Carvajal Group at 512-419-7770.