Texas Baby Blue Eyes

Texas Wildflower Day is an annual celebration held on the fourth Saturday of April. According to the Native Plant Society of Texas, this is a “45-year-old tradition that celebrates the beauty, importance, and diversity of Texas wildflowers and promotes conservation efforts.” Texas Woman’s University started this tradition in 1980. This year, the celebration will take place over two days (April 24-25) on that campus and will have the “Time to Restore Pollinator Habitats” theme.

In my corner of the world, I thought I’d celebrate with two flowers that say ‘Texas’ all over them. These three photos were captured in a small field of Texas Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila phacelioides) at Zilker Botanical Gardens. This flower is also known as Large-Flower Baby-Blue-Eyes and Flannel Breeches and can be found in the south-central states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. It is an annual flower that blooms from March to May. Its natural habitat is woodlands. The flowers are small and only about an inch wide (2.5 cm). Of course, pollinators of all kinds are attracted to it.

Naturally, I would be remiss if I didn’t include the official state flower, the Bluebonnet, in this post. To my delight, I found both Bluebonnets and Texas Baby Blue Eyes together in one area at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. That is Texas!

That is the story behind the shots. If you liked this post, you may also be interested in others featuring Bluebonnets, FOTD, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Texas, Wildflowers, and Zilker Botanical Garden. Until the next time, keep clicking and capturing the beauty your eyes find.

For Cee/Chris’ FOTD.