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Update 4/12/2007: A few incidents have been reported of Willow City Loop residents encountering wildflower viewers. Stopping along the Loop is strongly discouraged. I have seen the sheriff's department actively patrol the area looking for trespassers. You have to understand that to the residents of Willow City Loop, the increased number of travelers along the Loop is disturbing enough. Combine that with people stopping and walking through their land, you can understand why some of the Willow City Loop residents get a bit infuriated with wildflower seekers.
If you do stop along the road and stay on the paved part of the road then you should be able to avoid any confrontation with the residents of the Loop. I have seen some signs posted along the Loop that suggest doing that if you do stop. I have been able to get great photos from the window of my vehicle, so I know it can be done. Also, there are many other great locations this year where you can stop and get out to photograph and enjoy the wildflowers.
Update 4/8/2007: Most of the Loop still looks good, a few of the areas where bluebonnets bloomed early are starting to fade, but the majority of the areas have not peaked. Bluebonnets are flowing down the hillside on the south end where the Loop rises from the valley and the large fields in the distance are 80-90% covered in blue. I have not seen this part of the Loop look as good since 2000. The parts of the Loop mentioned below should still be good viewing through this week, but will begin to fade quicker with warmer weather.
Also see photo of my test spot taken 4/8/2007
Update 4/3/2007: I spoke to a couple Tuesday who had visited Willow City Loop earlier in the day. They had just visited the Loop on Saturday 3/31/2007. They commented that between Saturday and Tuesday the number of blooms seems to have doubled. I am actually seeing this in other parts. It appears that the rain and sunshine have resulted in larger plants that are now producing more bloom stalks.
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On Sunday (4/1/2007), I spent the day scouting parts of the Hill Country in Gillespie and Llano Counties. Overall I was pleased with what I saw. Below is the text of my report.
RR-2323 and Prairie Mountain: Bluebonnets are in full bloom. RR-2323 roadsides vary from 30% covered at times to 80% covered with bluebonnets. Several fields south and north of Prairie Mountain school were seen. Prairie Mountain school is in full bloom. Bluebonnets surround the swing set and are covering 50-60% of the field in front of the swing set and 70-80% of the field to the right of the swing set (facing the school house). Bloom coverage is the best I have seen in two years, but not quite to the level of 2004 (a very good year for 2323).
Here is a photo of one of the better sections of RR-2323 south of Prairie Mountain Schoolhouse.
US-71 from SH-16 to RR-2233: Coverage varies from no bluebonnets to stretches that are covered 60-80%. Several fields were seen. One extremely large field on the east side near CR-306 and CR-307 was 60-70% covered with bluebonnets and the bluebonnets had spread into the wide shoulder. A few bluebonnets near the edge of the road had some seedpods, but the vast majority were still in full bloom.
This photo is of one segment of a very long field along the eastside of US 71 SE of Llano between CR-306 and CR-307. The field is well over 100 yars long. The bluebonnets spread into the wide shoulder.
SH-16 from RR-2323 to RR-965: Coverage varies from no bluebonnets to stretches that were 60-70% covered. Several fields of bluebonnets were seen. One large field was seen on the west side of SH-16 just before RR-965. Fields of white prickly poppies were also seen along with several stretches of phlox mixed with bluebonnets and wine cups.
Enchanted Rock SNA and RR-965: A few stretches of bluebonnets were seen along RR-965 before and after Enchanted Rock SNA. Coverage varies from spotty to 60-70%. Spotty patches of bluebonnets were seen in Enchanted Rock SNA. More people were seen than bluebonnets. One small patch bluebonnets with a small waterfall was seen. Dusting of daisies, phlox, vetch, blue sage were seen throughout the SNA. Giant spiderworts were seen along the Echo Canyon trail near the Summit Trail. Water was flowing everywhere with lots of little clear water streams with small sand bars. One spot near the Summit Trail was large enough for kids to splash around. (see photo )
Willow City Loop: North End of the Loop and the middle Loop closest to the north end have the best coverage. Most of the middle of the Loop was covered from virtually no bluebonnets to spots with 30-40% coverage. The best field along the middle segment is the one bordered by the iron fence. Coverage along Willow City Click Road varies from 30-40% to stretches covered 60-70%. A few stretches had spread into the fields. The segment of South end of the Loop where the road rises from the valley has the second best coverage. Bluebonnets were flowing down the sides of the slopes. The two large fields in the distance were 70-80% covered. There were almost as many people along the Loop as there were in Enchanted Rock.
Overall for the veterans who have been visiting the Loop for a long time, the coverage is definitely not at the "banner year" level. The coverage is closer to 2004/2005 and much better than last year. It looks like parts of the Loop got enough rain in the fall and other parts got very little rain. While the veterans might not enjoy it as much, the newcomers to the Loop will certainly enjoy the drive. I love driving the Loop with or without wildflowers and certainly there were some very nice spots along the Loop today.
Here is photo of one section of the northend of Willow City Loop. You can compare this with a photo I took of the same spot in 2004 (http://www.pbase.com/richo/image/27692629 ).
Here is photo from my "test spot" which is located just before "Willow City Click Rd" and after the last cattle guard heading south along the Loop. This is the north end of the middle of the Loop which is doing much better.
Compare this with a photo of the same spot on 4/4/2005.
http://community.wildflowerhaven.com/photos/hillcountry/category1003/picture320.aspx
RichO
Hunting Texas Wildflowers
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