Friday, April 2, 2010

It's wildflower season in Austin!

It's been almost three months since my last post, and I've been trying to get motivated to start blogging again. And spring in Austin brought me the motivation I was looking for! It's been a very wet winter here, with lots and lots of rain. Maybe as a result, the roadsides are completely bursting with color now - it's wildflower season in Austin!



Carpeting the grassy slopes on the sides of the road is the Texas state flower - the blue bonnet. Dotting the fresh green foliage everywhere are its striking blue petals with pearl-like white tips. To add to the splash of color, there is the bright orange Texas paintbrush - its flower is actually small and yellow, but more prominent are its flame-orange bracts.



This highway runs outside our subdivision and I've been seeing this vision along the roadside all week as I've driven by. Today, finally, I took my camera, got off the road and took some pictures.



Sitting amongst the flowers, I noticed hundreds of tinier flowers, in yellow, magenta and pink, in addition to the blue bonnets and paintbrush that are visible from a distance. The fragrance there was out of this world. I really didn't want to leave.



Spring is so fleeting in Austin ... all this will melt away soon and the dreaded Texas heat will soon be in place. I guess such is life ... But for now, I am breathing deeply and savoring this beautiful season in Austin.

18 comments:

Blu said...

Hi lovely to see your pictures again. It is a relief to start seeing spring flowers, but to smell them too, lucky you! Best wishes to you ..Blu.

ArtPropelled said...

Wildflowers? Spectacular!

Mridula said...

A post from you after quite sometime! And what beautiful landscapes!

In the meanwhile I have a new blog URL http://blogs.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/

French Fancy... said...

It is so good to see you back here and with such lovely photos as well. Have a lovely Easter my friend

Unknown said...

Beautiful Bindu! I'm glad to see the bluebonnets have arrived, I sure hope they last a while! happy Easter weekend...

Srividya said...

Nice to see you posting again. I wish we could visit now.

Chris Daly said...

Amazing! What a beautiful sight!

Trotter said...

Hi Bin!
Welcome back! Long tome no see...
Lovely flowers, wonderful shots!!

Blogtrotter Two is now departing Miami by air; my Easter egg for you... ;). Have a great week!!

Jude said...

Wonderful to see you back...what lovely flowers!!!
Hope to see you blogging again very soon..

Maya said...

Very beautiful pics and lovely flowers. I can imagine how lovely it would be, and wish we could visit you now.

Unknown said...

I have missed you! Glad you are back, and with flowers! I have always loved Paintbrush.

Anonymous said...

Bindu,
Lovely post and pictures! Sitting here in my tiny apt. in Manhattan, I am so home-sick for Austin!! Am battling allergies to boot :), yeah, turns out we have oak in The City!!
Keep well,
Nivedita

LadyFi said...

Lovely to see you back! I adore these cheerful and gorgeous flower photos! I just want to scoop them up by the armful and smell them.

pink dogwood said...

beautiful - have missed you. I haven't been blogging much either.

Leanne Pizio said...

Beautiful Bindu! So lovely. I am always sad at the fleeting spring time. Watching the daffodils grow so happily and then the blossoms falling. Maybe it makes us pay more attention to the glory of spring and concentrate on it's beauty before it is off and running into summer.

Sydney said...

Hi Bundu!! it is the most beautiful time of year there. ANd as usual, you took wonderful pictures.

meb said...

Hi Bindu... Haven't been blogging or visiting blogs, but just happened to come over today. I just visited San Antonio, and I could have taken these exact same pictures of the wildflowers of Texas. That is if I could take pictures as beautifully as you do.

A few of my blogger friends met up in SA on Apr 17-20, the same time it appears you were taking the pix.

Just wanted to say hello.

Trotter said...

Bindu, where are you?
Missing you at Blogtrotter Two... :-(