Texans are in for a treat this year as the state’s wildflower season is set to be spectacular.
Based on the forecast published by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, the 2023 wildflower season in Texas is expected to be quite the sight.
The above-average rainfall seen last fall and the warmer temperatures felt in recent weeks will make bluebonnets and other spring-blooming annuals especially lush this year. Even last summer’s drought has proved beneficial to germination.
“The drought may have caused some grasses to die back,” Andrea DeLong-Amaya, the LBJ Wildflower Center’s director of horticulture, said in the press release.
Rainfall and temperature fluctuations contribute greatly to the timing of the wildflower season, she added. Around bustling cities, the greater warmth may have already generated some bluebonnets along roads.
The Texas bluebonnet, the most widespread among the five species of bluebonnets native to Texas, will reach its peak bloom early this year. In Central Texas, this will occur around mid-March, while in North Texas, it will follow in late March.
Some flowers, such as mountain laurel, Carolina jessamine, and Mexican plum, are already in bloom, according to the LBJ Wildlife Center’s press release.
“It’s pretty entertaining to just stand and see what shows up. Every day there’s something new to see as the season progresses,” DeLong-Amaya said.
Julie Marcus, a senior horticulturist at LBJ Wildflower Center, told NBC 5 that flowers like Indian paintbrush and gaillardia would probably bloom around the same time as the bluebonnets.
Later in the season, Marcus said to expect other blooms, like coreopsis, horsemint, black-eyed Susan, and four-nerve daisy.
There are many locations in North Texas where residents can relish the beauty of wildflowers.
As The Dallas Express reported, the Dallas Blooms Festival is underway at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. If the sight of thousands of azaleas and dozens of varieties of tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils isn’t tempting enough, several other activities are available, including a stroll through the “Great Contributors” outdoor exhibit of lifelike bronze sculptures.
Regardless of wherever you go to stop and smell the roses, please be careful not to trample the flowers and to respect both public gardens and private property.