Willow City Loop wows with Texas wildflowers

I headed westbound to the Hill Country connected Wednesday connected a THIRD wildflower safari, cruising the Willow City Loop betwixt Fredericksburg and Llano. This famously scenic, 13-mile ranch roadworthy winds done rugged canyons and implicit rocky hilltops offering spectacular views, with low-water crossings and free-range cattle to ticker retired for. Bluebonnets, achromatic prickly poppies, and different autochthonal Texas wildflowers puddle thickly on the roadside and successful pastures.

If you go, I urge avoiding Easter play if you tin and waiting until Tuesday oregon Wednesday of adjacent week. Otherwise you’ll apt find yourself successful bumper-to-bumper traffic. Many of the ranch owners on the Loop are, understandably, bushed of each the postulation during wildflower play and person posted signs informing visitors not to stop, park, oregon trespass, truthful support that successful mind. It’s easier to crawl the Loop and gawk astatine flowers without becoming a nuisance connected a quieter weekday.

Mom and her pup Lola accompanied maine connected this wildflower expedition. We drove northbound from Fredericksburg nether bruised skies rumbling with thunder. The caller mesquite leaves and wildflower fields were adjacent much beauteous nether that threatening sky.

Verbena made a beardown aboriginal showing arsenic we headed into the Loop.

Grazing sheep added to the springy Eastertime scenery.

At the TK Ranch (which changed hands successful 2023), aged boots upturned connected fenceposts lined the roadworthy for a fractional mile oregon more. It’s ever amusive to spot them.

Beyond the TK, arsenic spattering rainfall alternated with bursts of sunshine, we started seeing heavy clusters of bluebonnets.

I’d been connected the lookout for a rainbow, and arsenic we crested a rise, determination it was — a big, treble arching rainbow.

It spanned the roadworthy ahead, with 1 extremity dropping into the valley, seeming to constituent to the legendary cookware o’ gold.

Or possibly the golden was implicit this ridge.

A haze of bluebonnets dispersed astir exposed pinkish granite. The rocky cliffs beyond reminded maine of the Fort Davis country successful West Texas.

Big, blowsy achromatic prickly poppies are Mom’s favorite. We some were dazzled by the neon greenish of recently leafed mesquite.

Bluebonnets volition ever beryllium my favorite, pictured present with expansive unrecorded oaks sporting their ain brand-new, yellow-green leaves.

Cows and flowers

Everywhere, really

It’s each truthful bully this year!

Bluebonnets alternated with aureate groundsel nether mesquites.

A ligament obstruction successful the foreground made a emblem effect.

Golden groundsel beyond the ligament fence

And achromatic prickly poppy

A wider country with achromatic prickly poppy, bluebonnet, and aureate groundsel

Golden groundsel began to bargain the show.

Although bluebonnets made a brave basal on the obstruction line.

“Diamond” successful 1 ranch’s sanction was represented by a diamond successful their obstruction design.

Another charismatic aged unrecorded oak with a lapful of bluebonnets

White prickly poppies and bluebonnets

The achromatic limbs of unrecorded oaks on the roadworthy framed greenish fields.

But it’s truly each astir the blues astatine this clip of year.

Bluebonnets with a azygous achromatic poppy — similar the afloat satellite implicit water waves

More prickly poppy, backlit by the day sun

Mom spotted a cardinal successful a debased branch, and I leaned retired the model to effort to get a shot. Well, the leaves are successful focus!

Another tract of blue. It ne'er gets old.

Bluebonnets with prickly pear

*Angels singing*

Longhorn cattle successful a wooded pasture — what an iconic Texas scene.

Baby longhorn

Just up the road, I spotted a chaotic turkey moseying done bluebonnets.

And a fewer cervid too

Another bully spot of blue

And another

The prima was playing hide-and-seek successful the clouds, creating moody airy that intensified bluish wildflowers and caller greenish leaves.

Mesquite and bluebonnets

A shaman sculpture with arms aloft beckoned to visitors astatine 1 ranch. An agave echoed his headdress.

Toward the bluish extremity of the Loop, achromatic prickly poppies were making a large show.

Bluebonnets inactive favored the roadsides, including on this gated driveway.

A fewer pinkish phlox joined the amusement adjacent a chimney-like butte.

The blues, however, person my Texas heart.

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate! And if you’d similar to spot wildflower safaris on Willow City Loop from years past, click present for much flowers.

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March 30-31: Come spot the Austin Cactus & Succulent Society Show astatine Zilker Botanical Garden connected 3/30 and 3/31, from 10 americium to 5 pm. Includes a works amusement with specimen cacti and succulents, handcrafted pottery, regular soundless auction and hourly works raffles, and adept advice. Admission is included with paid admittance to Zilker Garden, $5 to $8 for adults, $3 to $4 for children (under 2 free).

April 6: Come retired to Austin’s Mayfield Park connected 4/6 for the Mayfield Park Gardening Symposium & Fundraiser, 8:30 to 11 am. This yearly payment for the parkland includes a raffle, works sale, and plot speakers.

May 4: Explore “brilliant backyards, cleanable pools and pergolas, and outdoor rooms and gardens” connected the ATX Outdoor Living Tour connected 5/4, 10 americium to 3 pm. Landscape architects, designers, and builders volition beryllium connected manus to reply questions. Tickets are $33.85 for adults, $17.85 for kids property 10-17.

May 11: Save the day for Austin Home’s Great Outdoors Tour on 5/11.

May 18: Pop up to Dallas for the 2024 DCMGA Garden Tour connected 5/18 from 10 americium to 5 pm. Tickets are $18 if purchased online prior to 6 p.m. on 5/17, oregon $22 aft 6 p.m. connected 5/17 oregon astatine the event. For a sneak peek, click here.

June 1-2: Take a self-guided, 2-day circuit of ponds and gardens successful and astir Austin connected the yearly Austin Pond and Garden Tour, held 6/1 and 6/2, 9 americium to 5 pm. Tickets are $20 to $25.

Come larn astir gardening and plan astatine Garden Spark! I signifier in-person talks by inspiring designers, scenery architects, authors, and gardeners a fewer times a twelvemonth successful Austin. These are limited-attendance events that merchantability retired quickly, truthful articulation the Garden Spark email database to beryllium notified successful advance; simply click this nexus and inquire to beryllium added. Season 8 kicks disconnected successful autumn 2024. Stay tuned for much info!

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