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 Hunting Texas
Wildflowers (HTW-2006) contains 17 maps and detailed
descriptions of over 75 wildflower routes and locations covering the
Hill Country, East Central Texas, North Central Texas, and Southeast
Texas.
Don't wander aimlessly searching for Texas wildflowers; get
Hunting Texas Wildflowers and
easily find them.
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Will The 2010 Wildflower Season
Be Repeat of 2007?Based solely on the rainfall rates during the Fall
and Winter, we are headed for at least a normal wildflower season
with good signs of an above normal season given we get the rainfall
and temperatures needed in February and March.
2009-2010 Rainfall Analysis
El Nino conditions that began
in September of 2009 continue to persist and are expected to persist
through the spring. El Nino conditions tend to result in normal to
above normal rainfall in Texas. The key wildflower areas in the Hill
Country, Ennis and Brenham regions experienced normal to above
normal rainfall during the months of September 2009 through November
2009. This will likely result in more annual wildflower seedlings
for early spring blooms. Annual wildflowers that bloom in early
spring mainly germinate in the fall. Above normal rainfall in the
fall will usually result in more wildflower seedlings. Only November
produced rainfall totals that were slightly below normal levels in
some areas. Based solely on rainfall amounts, there should be on
average more wildflower seedlings for this spring wildflower season.
Winter rainfall needed to sustain the seedlings so far has been
normal or slightly below normal.
Brenham Area :
Average displays in most spots with some spots above average
displays. (B+ to A-)
Most of the key bluebonnet areas in Washington and Austin counties
received normal to above normal rainfall September and October, but
experienced below normal rainfall in the past 90 days. The amount of
rainfall in the past 90 days should have been sufficient to sustain
the bluebonnet rosettes might have not have encouraged deep root
growth (hard to really tell this just from rainfall records). If the
Brenham areas receives normal rainfall during Feb-Mar, we should see
good displays in the usual areas given all other factors are in
place.
Ennis Area :
Normal to Above Normal Wildflower Season ( A- to A)
The Ennis area near Dallas also received well above normal rainfall
in September and October, but the rainfall has been slightly below
normal since then. Given the denser soil in the Ennis area, the
excess rainfall does not always prove to be good for bluebonnets. I
have seen this first hand. The key will be the amount of rainfall
the area receives in Feb-Mar. Too much rainfall during time period
could result in fungus growth in low lying areas which can wipe out
bluebonnet plants. Still, based solely on the rainfall in the Fall,
this area is on track for a good wildflower season.
Hill Country :
Normal to Above Normal Wildflower Season (A to A+)
Sep-Nov 2009 - Normal to well above normal rainfall. October
rainfall was well above normal and November rainfall was normal to
slightly below. Willow City Loop and Llano averaged higher rainfall
than Mason county, but this difference may not be significant. I
believe there was sufficient rainfall during the key germination
periods to point toward a good crop of seedlings. I have had at
least one report from San Saba county of good growth in healthy
bluebonnet rosettes.
This is
good news! What could go wrong?
This report is only dealing
with the rainfall amounts as recorded by NOAA. Texas wildflowers are
a hardy bunch and will usually persist through some of the worse
conditions. However, certain factors need to come together to
produce the brilliant and dazzling displays of wildflower beauty.
The key factors for a good wildflower season include:
- Adequate rainfall
and warm temperature
in the fall to support good seed germination.
- Sustaining rainfall
in the winter to
promote growth of healthy seedling root systems.
- Warming temps
and normal rainfall in the late winter (Feb-March)
to encourage growth of plants and bloom stalks.
Cooler temperatures in March will tend to delay the
blooming period. Warming temperatures with good
rainfall will tend to promote an early and longer
season.
- Less competing vegetation -
Dead vegetation
from previous seasons was burned away or removed.
Native grasses prevail in the area with little or no
invasive plant species.
- Proper
mowing
- Grass
mowed in late August and again in late January (but
not too low to remove seedling rosettes). Mowing
during the prime blooming months of Mar-May can
literally kill a good wildflower display. Sadly, I
have seen more of this in recent years.
Well for one thing, I can guarantee there will be
some wildflowers blooming somewhere in Texas this year. If rainfall
and temperatures approach normal levels in February and March then
there will probably be some spectacular displays bluebonnets and
other wildflower blooming.
If you spot any wildflowers blooming please
report them in our forums (WildflowerHaven
Community Forums) or submit a report
at:
Wildflower Report.
Please hunt wildflowers only with your camera.
Happy Hunting! - RichO
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