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Updated: 4/19/2005, photos added
Not the best of years in Ennis for bluebonnets, but I still enjoyed traveling the routes. I highly recommend you either visit the Ennis website or stop at the visitor's center before traveling the routes. They make regular trips to check on conditions.
![Yes [Y]](/emoticons/emotion-21.gif) The Ennis Garden Club also marks the current best routes with blue signs with arrows pointing the way. Follow the blue arrows to get to the best routes during your visit. This is an excellent feature provided by the Ennis Garden Club.
Generally the Ennis area is not experiencing a good year for bluebonnets. I suspect this is due mainly because of cool weather and above normal rainfall in late winter. I walked one field that was opened to the public. The field slopes and was at one time contour plowed with ridges and furrows. Bluebonnet cover the ridges and are absent in the shallows of the furrows. The ground was still wet and muddy at times in the shallows. I saw young plants still without bloom stalks along the ridges, but where the ground was soggy the plants were shriveling and had evidence of mold. The ridges look great and where the ground slopes well the bluebonnets were beginning to mature. Roadsides in Ennis are already reaching peak, but I think fields will continue to fill and peak next weekend (4/22-4/24/2005).
Here are the top routes I found during my visit Thursday (4/14/2005) afternoon and most of Friday (4/15/2005).
Cody Rd: Large field 50-60% heavily covered just north of intersection with 1181. Several nice spots along this road
Sugar Ridge Rd: Several nice patches and a few fields beginning to fill in.
Lone Oak Rd: two large fields striped with bluebonnets moderately to heavily covered.
1181 just before Lone Oak is a large field with a sign, "Wildflower Watchers Welcome"
I also found a very nice field along Log Cabin Rd.
In Ennis, the new portion of Jeter Rd near the intersection with Lampassas Rd is heavily covered with bluebonnets. The US 287 bypass has several large sections moderately to heavily covered with bluebonnets.
Oddly there were no bluebonnets found by me in the New Bluebonnet City Park. The old Bluebonnet City Park (Wildflower Park) is closed. Highview Park had only a dusting of bluebonnets.
If you live in the Dallas-Ft Worth area, a visit to Ennis is still recommended. There were ample opportunities for the "family photos" or the fine art photo shot. Please, please do not have the kids sit on the bluebonnets. The garden club and the residents really frown on this. Often there are natural bare spots you can find to put the kids for that "kids in the bluebonnet" photos.
Other photos of my Ennis trip can be viewed at: Ennis 2005
RichO
Hunting Texas Wildflowers
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