Bluebonnets in the Texas hill country
It's springtime in Texas, and that means bluebonnets!
For those of us living in central Texas (and some other parts, too), springtime usually means that the wildflowers will start popping up everywhere. And though there are several types of wildflowers that we get each Spring, by far the most-mentioned is the lovely bluebonnet.
In addition to being our State Flower (which makes it illegal to pick), it's just beautiful. And when you find a field covered in these flowers, you just have to stop, look and take a picture (or more likely, several pictures).
It's very common to see cars pulled over to the side of the road, with the family sitting in a field of them getting their picture taken. Or just arranging the kids for a photo. Or the dog. In other words, we all like to get out and take pictures of these flowers. Like I said, they are beautiful.
They are also a bit fleeting, lasting only a few short weeks it seems, before they die off. So, you have to act quickly.
As a photographer, I am no different than anyone else - I want some shots of these things, too. I got up early one recent weekend morning, and took off to the Texas hill country to look for some bluebonnets to photograph. While I did find a few nice spots, I have to say my timing was probably a little off. Specifically, I believe I was a couple of weeks early.
At the time, the flowers blooming on the side of the road in Austin were looking pretty impressive, and since I had the time, I went for it (and knew I wouldn't have another chance to travel to the hill country). But in the hill country - at least the places I went - they were much less common and I really had to look for them.
Thankfully, I found a few good spots (and took a lot of photos), but if time permits I may have to get out in Austin over the next couple of weeks and grab a few shots closer to home. Before I know it, they will be gone.
