Some days I go bike riding and come home with several shots captured along the trail. Today was no exception. Short on time, and with the heat fast approaching, I headed to the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park, just a few minutes from home. I picked that park because I wanted to ride my mountain bike — its trails are easy and isolated once I leave the main gravel paths.
As soon as I did, I had to stop and enjoy a deer family. The two fawns, now beginning to lose their baby spots, stayed close under mom’s watchful eye. My next stop came in the exact area where I had photographed a pair of roadrunners a couple of months ago — you may recall the story, Love Dance, of the male trying to woo a female. Later, in a completely different part of the park, yet another roadrunner crossed the trail ahead of me.
As welcome as those sightings were, it was on the way back that I squeezed the brakes hard. I thought I had missed the Texas Bluebells (Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum) altogether while we were in Brazil. Yet there they were, out in the wide open — those unmistakable purple flowers rising 1–3 feet (30–90 cm) above the summer grass. It seems they are making a late entrance this year, though still right on schedule: here in Central Texas, they typically bloom from June through September.
If the flower looks familiar, there is a good reason — the florist’s lisianthus was developed from this very wildflower. I can always photograph cultivated Texas Bluebells at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, but nothing compares to the feeling of finding them in the wild.
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring FlowerHour, Parks, Southwest Williamson County Regional Park, Texas, Texas Bluebells, and Wildflowers. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
Posted for Terri’s Flower Hour #41.
Sources:
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center — Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum (Texas bluebells) — https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=euexr
- Native Plant Society of Texas — Plant of the Month: Texas Bluebells — https://www.npsot.org/posts/plant-of-the-month-texas-bluebells/
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Kirstin Troyer
Beautiful choices for the prompt this week!
Egidio Leitao
I’m glad you liked them. Thanks, Kirstin.
pamperrault21
Lovely, the narrative and the flower! You wrote, “but nothing compares to the feeling of finding them in the wild” and I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for sharing this information. Great post! pp
Egidio Leitao
Thanks for the wonderful feedback, Pam. Yes, finding these beauties in open fields is always a joy. I’m hoping the ones in the back of our house I saw last year might come back.
pamperrault21
If they do, you will post a picture, please?
Egidio Leitao
Here’s the post from last year showing some of these flowers in the back of our house:
https://throughbrazilianeyes.com/pushing-the-envelope-on-creativity/