Spring Blooms
Fri, May 7
Have you ever noticed how our Texas Spring produces wildflower colors in harmony with the gradually heating temperatures? On a recent drive through Texas I caught my breath at the full color spectrum of Texas wildflowers displayed on the road sides and fields. As I drove south, away from North Texas still holding on the the blues of early spring bonnets, the colors warmed and brightened.
For Example!
Early Spring: The blossoming of the bright Bluebonnets,? recall a winter that has recently past but has given way to more sun and warmth. A Cool Blue in the very beginning of spring when the temperatures are still Cool.
Middle Spring: As the Bluebonnets begin to fade to a pale, pale blue with the rising temperature of mid-spring,? the Pinks, Purples and Reds arrive in brilliant force: Evening Primrose, Blue-Eyed Grass, Winecup, and Paintbrushes. The warming sun is reflected in these warming colors, goodbye to cold blue.
Late Spring: We know what this feels like. It is the time we ask ourselves <<how did summer arrive so quickly, i was just feeling spring!>>. But we know the Texas summer has not hit. Late Spring is surprisingly hot, cool nights sure, but in the afternoons the sun radiates strongly. The purple are fading, and even the red are turning to orange like the Indian Blanket. This long period between spring and summer is bursting with bright oranges and yellow every direction: Black-eyed Susans, Coreopsis, Sunflowers, Dandelions.
Last week, the state from North to Central displayed this color spectrum with a wild precision. This may not be a scientific theory and the sun, light-color spectrum, and Texas wildflowers may not be cohorts with one another. But one thing is for sure: the beauty of nature in Texas is more wild and more beautiful and more connected than we often realize. Sometimes I do not understand what I am looking at, but I am amazed at what exists in Texas fields, forests, roadsides, ditches, and highway medians.
Because Yes, some of the most beautiful grasses and flowers survived construction, high-speed traffic, and neglect. Thank you Texas. So next time you are out on a drive or a walk, notice sometime new. Here at River Bend we have a wildflower bed in the front with every color represented. Stop by to see. Maybe that “straggly weed” is a beautiful wildflower full of goodness waiting to be appreciated.
Cheers,
Clyde the Quail who loves flowers