Texas Wildflowers in the Springtime FALSE GARLIC

False Garlic

Nothoscordum bivalve

Lily family

also called Crow Poison

These little beauties get overlooked when the fields are full of bluebonnets and Texas paintbrushes. False Garlic may stand anywhere from 6 to 21 inches tall, but the blooms are only about an inch across. 

Here is a bloom growing next to the star of the Texas wildflowers, the bluebonnet. You can see why it might be overlooked.

Spring Time Babies on the Way

House Sparrow

passer domesticus 

Well, you can see why this little beauty 

is called a "house" sparrow, can't you?

He and his wee wifey have  built a snug nest

 inside the hole in our eave.

Pieces of their building material 

keep falling onto our back steps.

Oh well, they won't be there long. 

I don't know if they have eggs in the nest yet. 

I suppose they do, but I haven't climbed 

up an extension ladder to check.

Once the babies leave the nest, 

the momma and daddy will go on their way,

 and I won't have to sweep up straw 

on my back steps until next spring.

Texas Wildflower Season Has Begun!

Texas Paintbrush

Castilleja indivisa

Texas boasts a glorious spring wildflower show 

when rainfall has been plentiful

during the preceeding months. 

This year, we have had an unusually

 wet winter, so the flowers should be both

 bountiful and colorful. 

This morning, even though the skies were grey

 and the lighting was miserable, 

I took my camera out to see what I could find. 

One of the flowers that is already

 covering some fields and roadways 

is the peachy, pinky, coral, salmon or red Texas paintbrush. 

Come back often in the next few weeks

 for more Texas wildflower photos. 

I look forward to lots and lots 

of trips around the Texas countryside 

in the days to come!

2014 Guadalupe County Fair Parade Flags, Floats, Tractors, Clowns

2014 Guadalupe County Fair Kicks Off

Since 1859, folks in Guadalupe county have celebrated the harvest season with an annual fair and the fair now kicks off with a parade. Ah, small town parades are the best. The kiddos get out of school for the day, the main street though downtown is blocked off, and folks meet and greet each other as they wait for the parade to begin.

A rare thing happens right before the parade starts. Traffic is rerouted along Austin Street. There are no cars parked on either side of the street. For a brief few moments, a photographer can capture the beautiful old buildings of downtown Seguin in all their glory.

The stark lines of the American Bank of Texas provide what will be a dramatic backdrop when the parade participants pass by, but for now, the gleaming white and harvest orange building stands clean and proud for all to admire.

The awning of the Lone Star Barber shop provides a shaded spot for folks. Some have brought their own lawn chairs, some sit on the curb and sidewalk, and some stand, but all are comfortable.

The parade starts at 10:00. Get ready!

 Come back in the next few days to see more of the parade and the accompanying carnival at the fair grounds.

September Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Appears

My Top Picks for the 2014 Spring Wildflowers

Most of these were taken in Guadalupe county, and a couple were taken in Gonzales county. Each season has it's star blooms and blossoms. Spring features the bluebonnet, with a supporting cast of Indian paintbrush, coreopsis, phlox and assorted daisies. Of course, Texans are highly partial to the bluebonnet, but as you can see, there are some other awesome wildflowers to be found during the spring season. 

Close and Personal with Guadalupe County Wildflowers

Henry Duelburg Sage with Coreopsis in background

Coreopsis/Tickweed

Scarlet Guara

White Prickly Poppy

Bluebonnets Cover the Land

For a few weeks, every year, Texas turns blue….the bluebonnets bloom and cover fields and meadows, they line roadside shoulders, they pop up in yards across the state. We appreciate the state highway deptartment's long-time program to spread the seeds across the state. What a wonder it is to behold fields of blue as we travel the highways and byways.