But, that has nothing to do with our quest for wildflowers.
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| Texas wildflowers |
With still cruddy weather, our next goal was some Texas wildflowers.
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| Indian Blanket |
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Both Scott and I had longed for years to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, which is near Austin.
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| The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center |
Founded by former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes as the National Wildflower Research Center in 1982, it was later renamed the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1997.
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| Botanical Gardens |
The original Center was located on a 60-acre site in East Austin, but public demand to view native gardens and learn more about native plants soon overwhelmed the original site.
It moved to its current site on a transition zone between the Edwards Plateau and Texas Blackland Prairies ecoregions in 1995.
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| Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center |
By 2002, in response to rapidly encroaching land development, the Center acquired an additional 237 acres of adjacent land through purchase and donation. This expansion of the campus made possible the development of larger scale research on the ecology of the Central Texas region and how best to restore healthy landscapes in the region.
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| Bluebonnets |
Operating under the auspices of the University of Texas at Austin since 2006, the Center is the Botanic Garden of Texas. Its mission is to inspire the conservation of native plants through its sustainable gardens, education and outreach programs and research projects.
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| A boardwalk through the gardens |
It is a signature piece of the former First Lady’s environmental legacy and is complementary to the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs on the University of Texas campus.
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| What we were hoping for; Photo: LadyBirdJohnsonCenter.org |
The inscription on the Presidential Medal of Freedom award presented to Lady Bird Johnson in 1977 by President Gerald Ford concludes with the words "Her leadership transformed the American landscape and preserved its natural beauty as a national treasure."
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| Antelope Horn and Prickly Pear |
I am sure the Center does excellent work and has made a big difference in the landscape of Texas. But – and this is a big but – it was not at all what we expected.
We wanted to see huge fields of Bluebonnets, Texas’ most beautiful natural resource.
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| Bluebonnets |
But, there were very few there. Instead, there we some rather pathetic fields ...
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| I think in a better year this would be all wildflowers |
... and a number of (in my opinion) too-manicured gardens.
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| The Dinosaur Gardens |
It was lovely, but not awe-inspiring. Certainly not what we thought it would be.
Now, I must put in some caveats here. We visited not too long after Texas’ historical and highly destructive big freeze. That catastrophe killed birds and plants all across Texas and the damage was still evident.
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| Texas state bird: the Northern Mockingbird |
Still, from what we could see, the Lady Bird Johnson Center probably wasn’t going to be what we wanted even in a good year.
So, we decided to try to find some wildflowers on our own. It wasn’t easy. Mainly because of the deep freeze, but probably also because of increasing urban and suburban encroachment.
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
The Center does have a resident Great Horned Owl couple that nests right inside the entrance.
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| They were not impressed with the weather, either |
Pedernales Falls State Park
We started with a short stop at Pedernales Falls State Park, just outside of Johnson City. Formerly a ranch, the site showcases the Pedernales River as it flows across 300-million-year-old limestone terraces.
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| The Pedernales flowing across limestone terraces |
The “falls” drop about 50 feet in elevation over a distance of 3,000 feet. Water cascades over tilted, layered stair steps of limestone.
We took a quick hike to see the falls and then spent a little time watching some Black-chinned Hummingbirds in a bird blind.
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| Male Black-chinned Hummingbird |
As I have mentioned before, I am particularly fond of State Parks that have bird blinds and many are found in Texas.
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| A Squirrel outside the blind |
Yes, one can search in nature for birds and animals, but it can be exceptionally hard to find, see and photograph them -- especially the small ones. The blinds bring them into your line of vision without habituating them to humans. It's a win-win.
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| Female Black-chinned Hummingbirds |
The one a Pedernales was a bit amusing -- or frightening -- depending upon your perspective. There were warning signs everywhere to look under the benches before sitting because of rattlesnakes!
Pedernales was a pretty park, but it had no wildflowers. So, on we went.
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
Our next stop was Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, which showcases the former President’s central Texas ranch.
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| Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park |
Administered by the National Park Service, LBJ NHS protects the birthplace, home, ranch and final resting place of Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States.
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| Northern Cardinal on the grounds |
During Johnson's administration, the LBJ Ranch was known as the "Texas White House" because the President spent approximately 20 percent of his time in office there.
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| The Pedernales River runs through the Park |
The Park also features a historic herd of cattle that have not been bred to become more lean; instead they have the same characteristics that the herd had in LBJ’s time.
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| American Kestrel on the grounds |
The Park consists of two discontiguous areas, the Johnson City District and the LBJ Ranch District – we have visited both before, but this time we just went to the Ranch.
It is a breath-takingly beautiful piece of land and we have seen wildflowers there. But, this time, they were not yet blooming. One of the volunteers told us the cold snap was the cause.
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| There should be wildflowers here |
So, on we went.
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| The canopy of ancient oaks |
We made a brief stop at Wildseeds, a commercial nursery that specializes in Texas Wildflowers seed. These were probably the best displays of our visit.
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| A sampling of Wildseed's fields |
Wildseeds was in the middle of what is now Texas wine country. I was shocked at the abundance of wineries. Many have beautiful buildings. I wish some would add fields of wildflowers. I might go to a wine tasting if I were surrounded by Bluebonnets.Willow City Loop
We had one more target: the Willow City Loop, a rural area famous for its annual Bluebonnet displays.
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| Willow City Bluebonnets |
It did deliver evidence of why the area is called "hill country" ...
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| You don't expect this in Texas |
... some lovely fields of wildflowers …
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| Willow City wildflowers |
… including a very Texas area with fences, boots and a windmill …
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| Now, that's Texas! |
… and some nice Bluebonnets …
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| Bluebonnets |
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| You have to keep moving |
But, I am sure because it is such a well-known area, it now has lots of restrictions. In addition to the expected no hunting rules, there is also a no-stopping, no-parking rule throughout the entire loop.
I understand completely that the local residents got fed up with endless lines of tourists and constant trespassing.
But, it made it very tough to take photos.
It was still evident as we drove north that the Bluebonnets were behind schedule.
When Texas has good wildflower displays, they are, indeed, spectacular. But, when and how well they bloom depends on temperatures, rainfall, sunlight and weather patterns. It is very difficult to predict.
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| Texas wildflowers |
We saw very few medians with blooming flowers, which is quintessential Texas. In fact, some of the prettiest flowers we saw were Indian Paintbrushes in southern Oklahoma.
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| Scott photographing flowers in Oklahoma |
Take that, Texas!
Trip date: April 1-19, 2021
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