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Update 4/1/2007: For an update on Willow City Loop and surrounding areas in Gillespie and Llano Counties see:
http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/forums/1950/ShowPost.aspx
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Willow City Loop: Rosettes of Hope
Summary: While this year is not likely to be a banner year for Willow City Loop bluebonnets, there are enough rosettes present to produce a good showing along several sections of the Loop. I would expect that good bloom coverage will begin around April 1st and continue through April 15th with the peak around April 8th – 9th.
Overview
I made my pre-season visit to Willow City Loop on Saturday, 3/10/2007. If you drive straight through the loop without carefully looking, you would see very few signs of any bluebonnets or other wildflowers. However, if you slow down and carefully check the ground you will see many “rosettes of hope.”
What is a rosette? A rosette is the mature seedling of a bluebonnet plant. The rosettes usually develop from late September to mid-November into salad plate size plants. During the winter months the top part of the plant remains about the same size while the roots continue to grow. During cold spells the tiny branches of the plant lie flat along the ground and the leaves curl up giving the appearance that the seedling is asleep. The quality of the spring bluebonnet show is first determined by how many rosettes were created in the fall and survived through the winter.
At first glance, I saw very little evidence of bluebonnet rosettes at Willow City Loop, but they are there and they are there in force. The cold spells in January and February and the lack of rain in February have slowed the growth of the rosettes. The rosettes are still lying low and not as fully developed as they should be by this time in the season. Many of the rosettes are very tiny and hidden in the dead growth of last year’s warm season grass. The dead grass growth is short, and it is not preventing seedlings from getting rain or sunshine. The warm season grass is still dormant and not yet growing, so it should not hinder the growth of the bluebonnet plants.
Compared to previous years, the rosettes appear to be about two to three weeks behind in growth. Warmer temperatures have arrived and rain is in the forecast for this coming week and next week, so I am fairly certain the rosettes will soon awaken and have a good growing spurt. I would expect that good bloom coverage will begin around April 1st and continue through April 15th. Adequate rainfall in March could extend the bloom period and significantly less rainfall will shorten the bloom period. At this time, I would estimate that the peak of the bluebonnet flowering will be around April 8th – 9th. This is just a guess albeit based somewhat on past years’ performance and this year’s rosette growth.
While this year will not likely be a banner year for Willow City Loop there are enough rosettes present to produce a good showing along several sections of the Loop. Overall, this year’s bluebonnet show at Willow City Loop will be much better than last year’s dismal showing. Based on what I saw Saturday, it looks like this year’s bluebonnet show at Willow City Loop will be somewhere between the level of the bluebonnet show of 2004 and 2005.
Details
SH-16 from Fredericksburg to Willow City Loop: A few early bluebonnet blooms were noticed along SH-16 between RR-1323 and the north entrance to Willow City Loop. Coverage of rosettes along SH-16 appears to be much less than average, but this could be deceiving at this time. I do not think the bluebonnet coverage along SH-16 will be as good as it usually is.
North end of the Loop: The north end of Willow City Loop varies in coverage. Some sections are minimally covered 10 to 20% with rosettes while other sections are covered 50% to 60%. There could actually be more seedlings that are too small at the present to be seen from the road. Given that the rosettes are still small and under developed, the coverage area could dramatically improve with adequate rainfall during the remainder of March
Middle of the Loop: The same variance in coverage exists in the middle section of the Loop. I saw several sections covered as much as 70% to 80%, but I also saw sections sparsely covered. Once again, there could be more under developed seedlings hidden by dead growth from last year’s warm season grass. The large field bordered by the iron-work fence looks to be covered much less than it usually is, but rosettes were still visible from the road. Rosettes were fairly easy to spot along sections of Stroeher Burrer road which intersects with the Loop at the beginning of the middle section.
Compare the above image with 2006 test area image.
South end of the Loop: Of all three areas of Willow City Loop, the south end appears to be the least covered with rosettes. Based on my rainfall analysis, it appears that less rain fell on the south end during the critical fall germination months. I did see a few early bloomers just before the Loop road rises from the valley.
See: More pre-season images of Willow City
RichO
Hunting Texas Wildflowers
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