Spring may officially arrive on March 20 in 2016,
but Spring's true arrival in each area in the world is not based on a date on the calendar.
Instead, each nook and cranny in the world has its own signal that Spring has arrived.
Bluebonnets are the unofficial first sign of Spring in Texas,
much like robins are the unofficial first sign of Spring for the northern states.
In 2014, the bluebonnets were glorious all around Ennis, Texas
as seen in the following post first published in May 2014.
Part of the joy of living is reliving special times in our lives.
Please enjoy the reliving of the 2014 bluebonnets,
one of the two most spectacular Springs for bluebonnets in my life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fields and fields of wild
but Spring's true arrival in each area in the world is not based on a date on the calendar.
Instead, each nook and cranny in the world has its own signal that Spring has arrived.
Bluebonnets are the unofficial first sign of Spring in Texas,
much like robins are the unofficial first sign of Spring for the northern states.
In 2014, the bluebonnets were glorious all around Ennis, Texas
as seen in the following post first published in May 2014.
Part of the joy of living is reliving special times in our lives.
Please enjoy the reliving of the 2014 bluebonnets,
one of the two most spectacular Springs for bluebonnets in my life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fields and fields of wild
Texas bluebonnets
were fields of dreams for early settlers.
Wide open spaces appeared as painted by a
French impressionist.
Bright greens, blues, and yellows
promised fertile lands for crops and livestock.
Today the wildflower fields around Ennis, Texas
are dotted with cattle on the horizon.
The acres of wild bluebonnets as seen by early settlers were
unobstructed views, beckoning farmers and ranchers to stay.
And, stay they did,
enclosing the wide open spaces with fences.
Barbed wire and wooden fence posts have given way to more
modern fencing materials.
Today, the fields of dreams are sometimes enclosed by metal fencing.
The Texas bluebonnet fields are filled with varying shades...
from pure white to pale blue to medium blue to cobalt blue.
Rarely there are even shades of pink and red bluebonnets in some fields.
More common than pink and red bluebonnets are
Indian Paintbrushes.
Most years paintbrushes bloom around the same time
as bluebonnets, and often will grow interspersed in the same field.
These paintbrushes are growing along the side of the road
near a field of bluebonnets in the background.
Both bluebonnets and paintbrushes are annuals and
reseed themselves to return each spring,
carpeting field after field with their beauty.
Bluebonnets are in the lupine family, and
varying wild lupines grow in thirty states,
according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Growing conditions in Texas,
long hot summers and sparse rainfall,
produce short flowers.
In Texas, the field of dreams still lives.
Today homeowners buy acreage
so their "front yards" are filled with wild bluebonnets.
Many are generous and allow others to visit
their fields to take photos each spring.
Ennis, Texas is the Bluebonnet Capital in Texas,
and has a bluebonnet festival each April.
Ennis is located about 40 minutes south of Dallas, and
the Chamber of Commerce offers free maps
with several routes marked for viewing wild bluebonnets.
A highlight of my life each year is seeing
Texas bluebonnets,
a field of dreams.
❦
The Ennis Bluebonnet Trails are April 1-30, 2016, and
The Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival is April 15-17, 2016.
Information is available at
❦
~~~~~~~~~~
The
Bluebonnet Blog Hop
is celebrating S P R I N G.
Please join me at these inspiring sites where I am sharing the bluebonnet field of dreams and all of the other Spring inspirations...
SUNDAY
Dishing It and Digging It @ Rustic and Refined
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY