It’s spring in Texas, which means it’s wildflower time! The Texas bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is the official state flower, and while you may find a few in Oklahoma, Louisiana or Florida, it’s primarily a Texas thing! I had originally planned on traveling to Ennis this past weekend, where there are large fields full of bluebonnets, but reports from the area stated they are not in full bloom. In fact, it may be an off year for the Ennis fields. Thankfully, the bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and other wildflowers were in full bloom in the Texas Hill Country, especially in and around Llano, TX.

Patches of various wildflowers were on display along the side of the road from Dallas all the way to Llano. The fields became truly brilliant near Baby Head Cemetery.

I continued south on SH 16 and out RR 965 to Enchanted Rock where I was planning on hiking to the top. Unfortunately the park was closed when I arrived, and while it appeared to be temporary, there was already a long line of cars along the side of the road waiting for them to re-open, so I decided to skip that. There were several more thick beds of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes along the sides of RR 965, which is where I got this close-up view of the Indian paintbrush with the bluebonnets behind it.

After that I continued south on SH 16 to the Willow City Loop. This is a scenic loop with a lot of wildflowers, prickly pear cactus, oak trees, and the rolling hills that make this part of Texas so beautiful! The Willow City Loop is also home to the famous “boot fence” where each fence post is adorned with a cowboy boot.

Cowboy boots and bluebonnets… the only thing missing is a longhorn, and that’s about as Texas as you can get!

I took some photos at the railroad tracks near Buchanan Dam, but they did not turn out well due to the angle of the sun at that time of day. I should have been at that location much earlier in the day.

As sunset approached, I ventured back to the area around Baby Head Cemetery, as these were the best looking fields, with both sides of the road covered in a sea of red & blue.

On the drive back up to DFW, I just happened to look out my window from the rural pavement of FM 2005 somewhere northeast of Goldthwaite, and noticed how brilliant the stars looked! I had to find a place to stop and get some pictures! After several failed attempts, missing side roads and driveways until I was past them, I finally decided to let the car behind me go in front, slowed down, and found a good spot. I didn’t even realize I had stopped in a perfect location with some trees (bur oak, maybe?) on the other side of the road. It was a perfect opportunity to do some light painting with my new flashlight that I got for just that purpose! It turned out great!

Prior to leaving that area, I had one more idea! While the image above was shot at ISO 1600 (f/2.8, 20 secs), for the one below I wanted to capture a more realistic view of what could be seen with the naked eye out there. I used the same settings, but turned the ISO down to 250. This is still a little more than what I could pick up with my own eyes, but it’s not too far off! It’s also a perfect display of what I love about having a sunroof!

I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!