Natural History Wanderings

Wildflower Haven has a new Texas bloom report for Hempstead, Bellville, Industry, Fayetteville, La Grange and Kenney

 A brief summary of my Monday, 3/31/14, wildflower trip for those of you that are not interested in the details: There are plenty of wildflowers for the tourists but not enough for the photographers in Waller, Austin, Fayette and southern Washington counties and it is certainly not the WOW every place you look kind of year. Even though part of this area is supposedly in the bulls-eye for rain it still seemed a bit dry to me. My best luck for photos was along 159 from Hempstead to a little past Industry but the good stuff had run out before I reached Fayetteville. Phillipsburg and southern Washington county along 36 was not good. Its always good to get out in the country but I was a little disappointed in the flowers and didn’t think it was worth $3.40 a gallon this year.

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My favorite large unfenced field of sandy-land bluebonnets at Jingle Road and 159 just outside of Hempstead had been mowed and they were constructing some buildings along 159. The small patch that they had missed was full of two families taking photos. However there is a big fenced field just past Jingles on 159 full of sandy-land bluebonnets that you can photograph from outside the fence.

I had intended to take 36 out of Belville towards Brenham but the highway is under construction and the cars were backed up like rush hour in Houston so we headed out 159 towards Industry.

Industry has some very nice displays but is not as nice as it has been in the past. My wife says I’m just spoiled. At 159 and Main if you go far enough to see over the hill there is a beautiful mixed field in the foreground and rolling farm land in the back ground. There is a very large bluebonnet fenced field across 159 from Main that you can easily shoot photos from outside the fence (it is not the ranch field that has been so nice in the past which is almost bare now). It is worth some time to poke around Industry because there are some nice areas and places to shoot closeups. Of course Monday was so windy and sunny that closeups were almost impossible.

Fayetteville and La Grange were disappointing. The TxDot bluebonnets are still filling in along 71 but so are the grasses and the “B”cabbage. However we did find a really good place to have lunch called Reba’s. It is clean, big menu, good food and reasonably priced. It is a block off of Business 71 in town. They have a menu on-line. Avoid 237 from Warrenton to Round Top through this weekend unless you like to shop for “stuff” with thousands of other folks.

389 between Shelby and Latium in Austin county have some nice roadside displays of bluebbonets, paintbrush, phlox, etc. The Haw Creek Cemetery is covered with paintbrush.

There is a farm pond along Loop 497 near Kenney that has a nice mixed field and a red canoe overturned on one bank that makes a terrific photo. It reminded me a scene you might see in Maine.

After 250 miles and eight hours I was beat and decided to head for home and didn’t see any other really good wildflower spots.

To see photos go to: 3/31/14 wildflower trip – Brenham Area.