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Catch the Bluebonnets in Texas This Spring



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If you havent seen the wildflowers in Texas in the spring, you

havent lived! The highway medians and hillsides are full of

color bright red, yellow and blue, pink and cream but you

better look out because cars are always pulling off the side of

the highway to ogle and take photographs. Its a tradition to

get in your car in the spring and go look at the wildflowers.

Nearly everyone in Texas has a photo of their kids in the

bluebonnets.



Typically, in my photo album theres a photo of me in the

bluebonnets taken by my grandmother, a photo of my sons in the

bluebonnets, taken by me, and a photo of my granddaughter in the

bluebonnets taken by my daughter-in-law.



Isnt it time you had a photo of your family in the bluebonnets?

Why not make plans this year to have a drive in Central Texas

and start a new family tradition? Bluebonnets, the state flower,

grow all over the Texas Hill Country, from San Antonio up to

Dallas and for two weekends in April people come from all around

for what has become one of central Texas major events.



Dont be surprised, says an article in the Austin Statesman

to see 30 to 40 cars pulled off the road at some spots, with

children squatting in neck-high fields of lupinus, better known

as bluebonnets, smiling for the family camera.



In fact its such an event, there are hotlines you can call that

track sightings of wildflowers and tell you the best places:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (http://www.wildflower.org )

- 512-832-4037, and Texas Department of Transportation

1-800-452-9292 - which provides tourism information and also the

option to hear reports on wildflower sightings throughout the

state.



When you come, plan your trip to include WILDSEED FARMS (

www.wildseedfarms.com ), the largest working wildflower seed

farm in the US. I discovered the farm on my way to visit LYNDON

B. JOHNSON STATE PARK, which is between Fredericksburg and

Johnson City. I was driving along the highway, and all of a

sudden cars were swerving, stopping, pulling over, and heading

back. There on my left were the beautiful gardens full of

brilliant color, and I joined in, pulling over and heading back.



Equidistant from Junction, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, and

seven miles east of Fredericksburg, WildSeed Farm is open daily

from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Heres a map:

http://www.wildseedfarms.com/farm_map.html .



The farm has 200 acres of wildflowers at different stages of

growth. Texas bluebonnets, red corn poppies and phlox in the

spring, and cosmos, sunflowers and zinnias in the summer. While

at Wildseed Farms, you can stroll along the walking trails,

observe a working farm, and then visit the market retail center

and buy some seeds! Theres plenty of room for the kids to run

around, and when else can they see a working wildflower seed

farm? Later you can relax in the BrewBonnet Biergarten which

offers beer, wine or soft drinks, ice cream, German tacos

(youre on your own there!) and various snacks. In the Garten

Haus, you can buy house plants, and in the Blumen Haus, fresh

cut flowers are available.



One of the special events at Wildseed, Pedernales Valley

Wildflower Festival will be held April 5-18th this year

featuring the new Butterfly House with native butterflies. For

more information call 1-800-848-0078 or visit them on the web.

Do be aware that Im sorry to say their photographs do not do

justice to what you will see in person if you hit the Texas

highways in April.



This part of Texas is filled with quaint shops and historical

places, excellent food, and a welcome attitude toward tourists.

There are innumerable attractions to visit, but Ill mention one

if youre especially interested in flowers.



Be sure and visit the ANTIQUE ROSE EMPORIUM in San Antonio, 7561

Evers Road, 210-651-4565, open daily. Tour the grounds and the

beautiful displays garden and pick up some hardy antique roses

for your own garden.



Come on rose pruning day (known to some people as Valentines

Day) for a Rose Pruning & Training Seminar, February 14th, 2004.

SHEER THEOLOGICAL NONSENSE
SHEER THEOLOGICAL NONSENSE

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by Doug Krieger

.....
Owner and head gardener will show you how to prune, and how to

train roses. Seminar begins at 10 a.m. and is FREE of charge. Go

here for more information: http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com .



While in the area, in San Antonio youll find the ALAMO,

SEAWORLD, FIESTA TEXAS, MISSION TRAILS and the RIVERWALK.



Over in Austin, the state capital, youll find more wildflowers

42 more acres - at the LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER RANCH,

http://www.wildflower.org , and the beautiful UMLAUF SCULPTURE

GARDEN & MUSEUM, http://www.umlaufsculpture.org , outdoors and

user-friendly. Umlauf was an art instructor at the University of

Texas for 40 years and donated his home, studio and more than

250 pieces of artwork to the city of Austin which maintain the

lovely garden where his works are displayed. He worked in many

mediums and styles, and youll find his works displayed in the

Smithsonian Institution and New Yorks Metropolitan Museum.



Youll probably recognize the face of his most famous UT

student, Farah Fawcett, who was often his model. An

exceptionally peaceful and beautiful sculpture garden!



Also in Austin is BARTON SPRINGS (

http://www.tec.org/bartonsprings/5Ws.html ) a 1,000 foot long

natural limestone pool fed by several underground springs,

situated in ZILKER PARK (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/zilker ),

which also has the Zilker Eagle, a large playscape, and 400

acres of sports fields and woodlands.



Then for more scenery, take the HILL COUNTRY FLYER, a steam

locomotive SP 786 manned by volunteers. There are 1-hour trips

through Austin, a 33-mile ride from Cedar Park (north of Austin)

to Burnet through the Hill Country and special event rides, such

as murder-mystery excursions. Call 512-477-8468 for more

information.



Also for the kids, there are zoos in both San Antonio and Austin.



If you choose the Dallas area, give Kelly Dunn a call. An

excellent photographer, shes booking bluebonnet photography

dates already. Visit her on the web at

http://www.justimagineinc.com .



And last, but not least, to make this a memorable excursion for

the kids, the BAT EGRESS. This is something you wont see all

the time. Every evening from mid-March until early November, 1.5

million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from their roosts under

the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin and head out over

the town looking for dinner. Go here for directions:

http://www.batcon.org/discover/congress.html . Theres plenty of

parking, restaurants nearby, a souvenir stand (yes, t-shirts!)

but no public restrooms or concessions.



Generally the bats emerge at dusk, but may fly late if

conditions are not favorable. In early August you can see the

new born pups on their first forages with their mums. You can

also view them via a River Cruise.



And yes, theres a hotline. For updates and approximate

emergence time, call the Austin American-Statesman/Bat

Conservation hotline 512-416-5700 (category 3636) for the

latest flight times.



Here is a photograph of the people waiting

(http://www.batcon.org/discover/cab14-sm.jpg ), and here go the

bats (http://www.batcon.org/discover/cab08-sm.jpg ).



Trust me, you have never seen anything like it, and it is

guaranteed to render all age groups speechless. Its very

silent. Also its VERY creepy. (And remember, you can look, but

you better not touch.)

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About the author:

(c)Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching

around Emotional Intelligence for relationships, career,

resilience, and personal and professional development.

Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine.

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