It’s that time of the year…where fields and the side of highways are painted blue with bluebonnets.
For just a few short weeks across North Texas, bluebonnets are in full bloom. But act fast, because they don’t last long.
The flowers typically peak in mid-April, but they should last through the end of April – perhaps into early May if we’re lucky.
Here are 4 amazing things you should know about bluebonnets:
1. In 1901, the Texas Legislature named the bluebonnet, a legume, the state flower.
2. We have the Texas Department of Transportation to thank for so many wildflowers along the highway. The Agency says, “Shortly after the Texas Highway Department was organized in 1917, officials noted the wildflowers were among the first vegetation to reappear at roadside cuts and fills. In 1932, the department hired Jac Gubbels, its first landscape architect, to maintain, preserve and encourage wildflowers and other native plants along rights of way. By 1934, department rules delayed all mowing, unless essential for safety, until spring and early summer wildflower seasons were over. This practice has stayed in place for more than 60 years and has expanded into today’s full-scale vegetation management system.”
3. TxDOT buys and sows about 30,000 pounds of wildflowers seed each year.
4. In 1997, the Texas Legislature named Ennis the Texas Bluebonnet Trail and the official bluebonnet city of Texas. Every April, up to 100,000 people flock to the Ellis County town. It’s home to 40 miles of roadsides covered with wildflowers.
