2023 TEXAS WILDFLOWER AND BLUEBONNET SIGHTINGS REPORT
RATING SYSTEM
- 0 - Poor: very few wildflowers; not recommended
- 1 - Below Average: some scattered patches
- 2 - Average: light coverage
- 3 - Good: moderate coverage
- 4 - Very Good: some areas of heavy coverage
- 5 - Excellent: common areas of heavy to solid coverage; MUST SEE
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WILDFLOWER VIEWING GUIDE
These guidelines will help keep you safe and ensure future generations can also enjoy Texas wildflowers.- 1. Do not trample or pick the wildflowers. Most wildflowers are annuals, meaning they need to produce seed to come back in following years. Walking, driving or sitting on bluebonnets or other wildflowers can kill them, preventing them from reseeding and ever coming back.
- 2. Do not trespass. Over 98% of land in Texas is privately owned. Unless you are in a city, county, state or national park, you are on private land. Stay behind the fence or on the right-of-way. Trespassing is against the law and can result in arrest or worse, being shot.
- 3. Use caution. Pull over a safe distance from traffic. Be on the lookout for snakes, fire ants, bees, thorns, poison ivy, and holes in the ground. High vegetation also may harbor chiggers and ticks.
- 4. Enjoy. Texas has a lot of beauty that should not be taken for granted. Take time to stop and smell the wilflowers!
Visit us on Instagram for new pictures from this season.
>March 23, 2023 - Central Texas
Observed on 3/22/2023 in TRAVIS, WILLIAMSON and BELL counties.
Austin and Pflugerville area, bluebonnets are popping up all around town in vacant lots, fields and parks; best in many years. Should be easy to find places to take pictures in the bluebonnets this year!
US 79 between round Rock and Hutto, lots of bluebonnets along the road and in the median, some fields as well
FR1660 between Hutto and Jonah, mostly farmland, not much to see until you get close to Jonah. Then there are a few multi-acre homesteads with bluebonnets and paintbrush.
TX 29 between Jonah and TX 95 (Circleville), mostly farm land almost no wildflowers.
Texas 95 between Circleville and Holland, mostly agricultural very few wildflowers except a few roadside bluebonnets
US 190 between Rogers and Temple, roadside bluebonnets with several nice large fields of bluebonnets as well
>March 15, 2023 - Best Wildflower Season in years (in some areas).
Observed on 3/14/2023 in TRAVIS, HAYS, GUADALUPE, ATASCOSA, FRIO, MEDINA and BEXAR counties.
The above average year extends to some areas only and is not widespread as in previous years. Atascosa, Frio and Medina counties are a dud this year, worst I’ve ever seen.
IH-35 from Austin south to San Marcos, many bluebonnets are already in full bloom in the Austin area and Pflugerville, they can be found along many roads and in vacant lots, etc. Bluebonnets and other less common wildflowers are blooming along IH35 in the median and to the sides.
Texas 123 between San Marcos and Seguin, not much to see.
IH 10 to TX 46 south to FR 467, not much to see until FR 467 where there is a large patch of phlox.
FR 467 west to FR 539, occasional fields with light to moderate coverage with a few fields heavily covered with magenta phlox, groundsel, and sandyland bluebonnets. Several very impressive fields along this road.
FR 539 to Sutherland Springs, numerous fields with light to moderate coverage along this route with a few WOW, heavily covered fields thrown in. Groundsel and magenta phlox predominate, followed by sandyland bluebonnets, paint brush, prickly poppy and a few others.
FR 539 from Sutherland Springs to TX 97, this route has had some very impressive displays in the past, but this year it's a dud. Only a few fields with light coverage.
TX 97 to Floresville, not a lot to see, some fields lightly covered with sandyland bluebonnets, groundsel and phlox.
FR 536 from Floresville west, not much to see until junction FR 1303, where there is a large field of prickly poppies.
FR 536 to US 281, very few wildflowers, below average.
US 281 south to Leming, nothing to see, below average.
FR 1470 between Leming and Poteet, only scattered wildflowers along the road, fields are virtually devoid except for a few with prickly poppies.
FR 476 west to FR 2146, nothing to see.
FR 2146 to Texas 173, only scattered wildflowers on the side of the road, fields are devoid of wildflowers. Well below average year for this area, very dry.
Texas 173 west to FR 472, very few wildflowers except occasional prickly poppies. Doesn't even look like spring if it weren't for the bright green mesquite. This area is well below average.
FR 472 south to Bigfoot, well below average, very few wildflowers except some prickly poppies.
FR 462 between Bigfoot and Moore, again well below average, very dry. Only occasional prickly poppies.
IH 35 from Moore north to Natalia, very few wildflowers except prickly poppies, a well below average year. There was one large field of prickly poppies just north of Devine.
IH 35 from Devine to Lytle, a few roadside wildflowers but nothing worth seeing.
Luckey Rd from IH 35 to FR 3175, very poor. Nothing to see.
FR 3175 to FR 476 North, nothing to see.
FR 2790 to Somerset, nothing to see.
Loop 1604 from Somerset to IH 37, not much to see, however, the further east you travel the greener it becomes and some wildflowers start to show up, but nothing worth seeing.
The above average year extends to some areas only and is not widespread as in previous years. Atascosa, Frio and Medina counties are a dud this year, worst I’ve ever seen.
>March 14, 2023 - Best Wildflower Season in years.
OBSERVED IN TRAVIS, CALDWELL, GONZALES, WILSON, AND GUADALUPE COUNTIES ON MARCH 13, 2023
The 2023 wildflower season if off to an early start and is the best in years. South central Texas is seeing an above average year, but nowhere near the superbloom of 2010. Groundsel, paintbrush and phlox are well underway, with bluebonnets in early bloom in most areas.
IH 35 in Austin, bluebonnets blooming along the highway and in the median along with patches of coreopsis.
US 183 between Austin and Lockhart, not much to see until you get to Toll 130, then lots of bluebonnets lining the highway and in the median. Also numerous fields of bluebonnets on the sides, some large, best in many years.
US 183 between Lockhart and Luling, not much to see until you get close to Luling then not much along the roads but some patches in fields of mainly paintbrush, followed by bluebonnets and some phlox.
US 183 between Luling and CR 161, lots of roadside bluebonnets and big fields in early bloom, just south of IH 35 before Palmetto State Park.
CR161 / FR2091 between US 183 and Alt US 90, mainly roadside wildflowers including a lot of phlox, both scarlet and magenta. A few fields with bluebonnets and groundsel. Nothing around the park, it's been mowed. Not a whole lot to see after the park, except scattered patches of paintbrush and phlox along the road. A few fields with mixed wildflowers, including several large fields of groundsel.
Alt US 90 from FR 2091 to Gonzales, not much to see.
US 183 from Gonzales to TX 97, not much to see.
TX 97 from US 183 to Cost, very few wildflowers.
TX 97 from Cost to Bebe, very few wildflowers.
TX 97 from Bebe to TX 80, wildflowers start to show up on the roadside including phlox and groundsel. Lots of paintbrush, phlox, sleepy daisy, groundsel. Several very large fields of groundsel can be found in this area.
TX 80 from TX 97 to Nixon, scattered patches of paint brush along the road and several fields of groundsel.
US 87 from Nixon to Pandora, lots of green. Very few wildflowers.
US 87 from Pandora to Stockdale, magenta phlox and groundsel along the sides of the roads, some large fields of groundsel, not many sandyland blue bonnets, but they look to be early in bloom, mainly closer to Pandora; fewer and fewer flowers as you head west towards Stockdale. Several large fields of mixed flowers in the Stockdale area.
US 87 from Stockdale to TX 97, several large fields of sandyland bluebonnets, groundsel, phlox, paint brush. Bluebonnets appear to be early in bloom.
TX 97 S to Floresville, large mixed field halfway between Stockdale and Floresville.
The sun set at this point.
The 2023 wildflower season if off to an early start and is the best in years. South central Texas is seeing an above average year, but nowhere near the superbloom of 2010. Groundsel, paintbrush and phlox are well underway, with bluebonnets in early bloom in most areas.
>March 10, 2023 - FINALLY a good wildflower season!
OBSERVED IN AUSTIN, FAYETTE, GONZALES, CALDWELL, WILSON AND GUADALUPE COUNTIES ON MARCH 9, 2023
After three consecutive years of dissappointing wildflower seasons, 2023 is shaping up to be an above average season.
FM 390 @ US 290 - large fields of bluebonnets mixed with less common paint brush, groundsel and phlox just beginning to bloom.
FM 3346 between FM 390 and Texas 159 - light coverage of bluebonnets, paint brush and groundsel along the road. Fields are in very early stage of bloom, mainly groundsel some bluebonnets.
Texas 159 - not much to see until you get close to Bellville, then there are several large fields of bluebonnets mixed with scarlet phlox, paint brush, and groundsel. Some of these fields are heavily covered but are in very early stages of bloom.
Texas 159 between Bellville and Industry - light roadside coverage of mainly bluebonnets and phlox, some groundsel and Engelman daisies as well. Many large fields in early bloom look very promising and increase with frequency the closer you get to Industry. Mainly bluebonnets but a lot of paint brush as well. Both Texas bluebonnets and sandy land bluebonnets can be found in this area.
Large fields of bluebonnets, paint brush, magenta phlox, groundsel, baby blue eyes, in and around Industry. Way above average, could be considered a super bloom.
FR109 between Industry and FR2502 - Many large fields of flowers in early bloom with bluebonnets, scarlet phlox, groundsel and paint brush.
Most fields I saw in Austin county were in early bloom but there were exceptions and some were already in full bloom.
Heat and drought has a potential to shorten the wildflower season this year. It was 88° on Thursday March 9th in Austin county.
FR 2502 to FR. 389 - again many fields with groundsel, paint brush and bluebonnets, most in early bloom except groundsel which was already in full bloom.
FR 389 from FR 2502 - several large fields of mainly paint brush and magenta phlox in the Latium area. Not much until you get to FR 954 where there are several large fields of mainly bluebonnets and some paint brush.
FR954 to Willow springs - several large fields of mainly bluebonnets or groundsel with paint brush mixed in, in the vicinity of Willow springs.
Texas 159 between Willow Springs and Fayetteville - scattered fields of bluebonnets lightly to thickly covered most in early bloom but some already in full bloom.
Texas 159 between Fayetteville and Jct Texas 237 - not much to see.
Texas 159 from Texas 237 to La Grange - not much to see.
FR 609 south of La Grange - many large fields with mainly bluebonnets in early to mid bloom.
FR 609 from LaGrange to Flatonia - not much to see until the outskirts of Flatonia where there are some fields of bluebonnets in very early bloom.
IH 10 from Flatonia to Luling - Not much to see until you get near Waelder where patches of wildflowers increase in numbers. There was a large field of magenta phlox, LWFs and bluebonnets near Waelder.
Texas 80 from Luling to Belmont - lots of scarlet phlox mixed with paint brush along the roads. Many large fields of groundsel and a few fields of sandy land bluebonnets in early bloom.
Alt US 90 from Belmont to Seguin - many large fields of wildflowers, including bluebonnets, phlox, paintbrush and groundsel mostly near Belmont decreasing in frequency towards Seguin. Second best I've seen after 2014.
Texas 123 from Seguin to Stockdale - many fields of wildflowers predominantly groundsel followed by sandyland bluebonnets and magenta phlox. Above average year.
US 87 between Stockdale and Lavernia - many large fields covered with sandyland bluebonnets, groundsel and magenta phlox. Most impressive between Sutherland Springs and La Vernia.
FM 775 between La Vernia and New Berlin - not very impressive until you get near New Berlin. Church Rd appears above average but not anywhere near the super bloom of 2010.
FM 467 between Church Rd and Seguin - the sun had set at this point so it was difficult to see, but I did notice many fields with magenta phlox and yellow groundsel that most likely included sandy land bluebonnets, but they are pretty much impossible to see due to their pale blue color once it starts getting dark.
After three consecutive years of dissappointing wildflower seasons, 2023 is shaping up to be an above average season.
>Looking Back
Here are some images from previous wildflower seasons to get an idea of what we may expect to see this coming spring.
2014 Texas Wildflower Season:
2013 Texas Wildflower Season:
2012 Texas Wildflower Season:
2010 Texas Wildflower Season:
Earlier Texas Wildflower Seasons:
2014 Texas Wildflower Season:
2013 Texas Wildflower Season:
2012 Texas Wildflower Season:
2010 Texas Wildflower Season:
Earlier Texas Wildflower Seasons:
OTHER WILDFLOWER REPORTS
Wildflower Haven - wildflower reports, maps and other useful information
Big Bend Report - wildflower conditions from DesertUSA website
2019 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2019
2018 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2018
2017 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2017
2016 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2016
2015 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2015
2014 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2014
2013 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2013
2012 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2012
2011 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2011
2010 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2010
2009 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2009
Big Bend Report - wildflower conditions from DesertUSA website
2019 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2019
2018 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2018
2017 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2017
2016 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2016
2015 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2015
2014 Wildflower Report- previous wildflower report from 2014
2013 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2013
2012 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2012
2011 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2011
2010 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2010
2009 Wildflower Report - previous wildflower report from 2009
WILDFLOWER FIELD GUIDES
Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country
- Best field guide for identifying wildflowers in the Hill CountryWildflowers of Texas
- Best field guide for state wide wildflower identificationWildflowers of Texas Field Guide
- A great pocket sized field guide, many of my pictures are includedWildflowers of Houston and Southeast Texas
- Good resource for Houston area and east TexasWildflowers of the Western Plains: A Field Guide
- A good guide for west Texas including Big BendCactus of Texas Field Guide
- A great pocket sized guide to Texas cacti, includes some of my pictures
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