After seeing this nature trail many times on my way to a grocery store, I decided to visit it one day. Wow, what I’d been missing! The Copperfield Nature Trail is a small trail (about 4 miles or 6.5 km only) in north Austin that runs nearly parallel to Walnut Creek. It is a secluded trail with beautiful creek views, especially its south section. You can hike and bike it, but once you reach the south section, you’ll come to a point where you’ll need to get off your bike. The end near Yager has a beautiful display of wildflowers every year. The same goes for the area around the pond on Blakeney Street.
Although I had seen some varieties of Foxglove in Washington State at Olympic and North Cascades National Parks, this variety in Texas is known as Cobaea Beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea). It is also known by several other names, including Prairie Penstemon, Foxglove Penstemon, False Foxglove, and Wild Foxglove, among many more. It’s a perennial that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
This post is dedicated to the memory of Cee Neuner, who passed away on March 5, 2025. Although I came to follow Cee only in the last couple of years, her passion for flowers resonated with my love for wildflowers and nature. She had a challenge called Flower of the Day (FOTD). Please see this tribute from Becky, which includes profound words about how Cee led her life. Cee’s legacy will live on in the lives of those she touched. May she rest in peace!
That is the story behind the shots. If you liked these photos, you might also be interested in other posts featuring Austin, Copperfield Nature Trail, FOTD, Macros, Parks, Texas, and Wildflowers. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.
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Anne Sandler
Beautiful, Egidio!
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Anne.
Writing to Freedom
Beautiful flower and tribute Egidio.
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Brad.
Tra Italia e Finlandia
Che meraviglia!
Egidio Leitao
Grazie.
margaret21
A lovely flower, though not looking much like our foxglove here. A lovely tribute to Cee too.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Margaret. It’s also different from the foxglove I saw in Washington State in the Pacific Northwest.
philosophy through photography
A beautiful tribute and a lovely reminder to explore what’s been right in front of us. 🌿📷✨
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Philo.
philosophy through photography
Welcome, Egidio.
Namaste.
nesfelicio
Wonderful find, great photos, and a beautiful tribute.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Nes.
restlessjo
A lovely tribute and a fabulous bloom, Egidio xx
Egidio Leitao
Thanks, Jo.
Amy
A beautiful tribute to Cee.
Egidio Leitao
Thank you, Amy.
Rebecca Cuningham
Beautiful flower. Thanks for the introduction.
Egidio Leitao
You’re welcome, Rebecca. Thank you.
Steve Schwartzman
Your first picture reveals why people have called Penstemon cobaea “beard tongue.” Flowers of this species are also putting in an appearance now at various other places in and around Austin. I discovered the Copperfield Nature Trail a decade ago and have usually gone back once each year since then.
Egidio Leitao
Steve, thank you for the feedback. I used to live just a little over a mile from Copperfield Nature Trail (Blakeney entrance). It was my go-to place to experiment and observe nature. Since last year, we moved to Teravista in Round Rock.
Steve Schwartzman
Meadow Lake Park a mile or two south of Teravista has proved a good place for nature pictures over the years.
Egidio Leitao
Yes, it’s only 2.5 miles south from our house, but I haven’t made it there yet. We just moved here in July, so I’m in that discovery process. Thanks for the tip about that lake.