Other Texas wildflowers steal spring after drought limits bluebonnet blooms

AUSTIN (KXAN ) -- It's spring in Central Texas, meaning those lovely wildflowers are starting to bloom. While every Texan's first thought would be to look for bluebonnets, there are other wildflowers that may bloom in places where bluebonnets don't.

Bluebonnets for this spring are not growing as large this spring, so this leaves more room for alternative wildflowers to bloom, said Hannah Armstrong, lead horticulturalist at the Texas Wildflower Center. The batch of bluebonnets are also not as hearty as they have been in past seasons, which is due to drought during the fall, Armstrong said.

"So because they germinate so early in the fall, when we were in a drought and we were having kind of sporadic rainfalls, they didn't get as large as they would have," she said. "A lot of those seedlings died off, and the ones that did make it aren't maybe as hearty as they have been in previous years."

Although bluebonnets are near and dear to Texans' hearts, there is beauty to be seen in other wildflowers that can withstand drought better or are late bloomers and will show up in the summertime.

"Some of those later bloomers that we're just starting to see pop up now and will continue to bloom throughout the early summer, they got a lot more space to germinate with those more consistent rains in the winter, so they may have a more robust year than the bluebonnets have had," Armstrong said.

Mexican Hat

Mexican Hats are most known for their shapes that have "sombrero-shaped flower heads," according to the wildflower center.

"Flower petals range from dark red and yellow, to all red or all yellow," the website said.

Armstrong said the Mexican Hat "can take a lot of neglect and drought."

The flower is a perennial, which is a plant or plant species that has a normal life cycle exceeding two years, according to the wildflower website.

The flower can be used as a tea to treat headaches. It is also used as a wash for snake bites and poison ivy, Armstrong said.

Pink Evening Primrose

The Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa) has "large, four-petaled flowers," according to the wildflower center website. The plant is classified as a perennial and the flowers can range in color from dark pink to white.

"The delicate-textured, cup-shaped blossoms are lined with pink or red veins. Foliage is usually linear and pinnate, although leaves can be entire and lance-shaped depending on locality," the website said.

Armstrong said each flower only lasts one day. Additionally, this flower is a larval host for the White Line Sphinx moth. That means the insect can lay eggs on this flower.

The benefits of this flower include being used as food to "cook as greens or in salads," the wildflower center said.

Firewheel

Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella) blooms in the summer, Anderson said. The wildflower is classified as annual, which means it is a species that grows from seed, flowers, fruits and dies within one year's time, according to the wildflower center.

"The hairy stem is usually much-branched and becomes woody at the base late in the season. Branched stems, mostly leafy near the base, have showy flower heads with rays red at base, tipped with yellow, each with 3 teeth at the broad end," the wildflower website said.

According to the wildflower center, the flower heads have a red center and a yellow outer band. However, "some flowers are entirely yellow."

Armstrong said firewheels are used medicinally in tea for gastroenteritis. Gastroenteritis is a stomach flu. The wildflower center said another benefit is the plant can be used for sore eyes.

Texas Indian Paintbrush

Texas Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa) is a hemiparasite, which means it pulls other nutrients from other plants, Armstrong said. She said the colorful portion that looks like flowers is technically bracts, or modified leaves. This flower is classified as annual, according to the wildflower center.

"The flowers are less conspicuous than the bracts and greenish at the base, they are subtended by showy, typically red-tipped bracts. They sometimes produce a light yellow or pure white variation mixed in with the reds," the wildflower website said.

Hummingbirds and insects use this flower's nectar, according to the wildflower center.

Winecup

The winecup (Callirhoe involucrata) is "predominantly solid pink to magenta-colored," according to the wildflower center. It is also a perennial, Armstrong said.

Armstrong said these flowers are also known for their medicinal purposes. According to the wildflower center, the medicinal benefits include using "burned, dried roots" to inhale for head colds. Additionally, the flower's roots can be boiled and used for tea to drink for pain.

Moreover, Armstrong said the flower is a larval host for the Gray Hairstreak, which is a butterfly that is known to consume food plants.

How to properly plant bluebonnets, other wildflowers

While Texans wait for the bluebonnets to bloom in the spring, Armstrong said it's important to discuss how they are planted in the fall.

"I think one thing that people should also consider when they're planting bluebonnets, or excited about bluebonnets, is what comes next," she said.

Bluebonnets are an annual plant that requires preparation to bloom fully in the spring. Those who want to plant them should find grasses that will allow room for bluebonnets. Then, there is soil preparation, knowing when to plant them and seed them, according to the wildflower website.

"So when the bluebonnet is done and it's gone to seed, what will be there in the summer? What can you provide pollinators? So it's not just this bare ground," Armstrong said.

Seeding is when the seeds come "in good contact with the soil," the wildflower center said.

"Soil contact helps the seeds retain moisture, which is necessary for germination and provides a substrate for seedling growth," the wildflower center said.

For more information on how to plant a wildflower meadow, visit the wildflower center website.