National Wildflower Week takes place each year the first week of May. This weeklong tradition was started in 1987 by The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to celebrate the beauty and importance of native wildflowers across the United States. If you haven’t taken a “road trip” through the Texas Hill Country this spring, there’s still time to enjoy the profusion of wildflower blooms on the highways, byways and Farm to Market roads of Texas.
Our journey started with a smart decision to head back to Dallas from Austin last weekend by avoiding 135 and choosing, instead, to travel leisurely up 281. From Marble Falls to Hico, the panoramic views of fields blanketed by wildflowers was spectacular. Roadside stops were frequent, as patches of colorful Texas natives caught our eye.
Cattle grazing in and among pastures of bluebonnets didn’t seem to mind the closeness of our visit. Barbed wire fences stretching through the fields of yellow gave testimony to the hill country vistas so typical of our great state. Even the iconic windmills served to remind us to simply slow down and take in the sights and sounds of country life.
Sometime next week we hope to travel down another favorite route, highway 16 from Goldthwaite to the Willow City Loop. It’s a trip we’ve made countless times with each one somehow surpassing our expectations. A necessary stop at Cooper’s Barbeque in Llano will satisfy our hunger for the remainder of the drive. Here’s hoping you enjoy a few images of the scenic Texas hill country.
Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
The wildflowers at Raincatcher’s were beautiful this year. We hope you made a “local” road trip to see them on Midway Road.
Here’s a little more information to promote seeds of thought:
DALLAS GARDEN BUZZ 
Thank you Linda, for your wonderful description of all the sights that you were witnessing. I am so glad that you took the time to “smell the flowers”!