About a month ago, Jack, Madi, Bella and I went on a Bluebonnet drive. As you may know, the Bluebonnet is the Texas State flower. A good one, I think! The Bluebonnet is a species of Lupinus, which is a beautiful group of flowers that come in a variety of colors. Here's some interesting information on Bluebonnet's per Wikipedia~ Lupinus texensis is almost exclusively blue in the wild. A random genetic mutation does occasionally create an albino white bluebonnet naturally. Texas A&M University researchers were successful in breeding red and white strains, creating a Texas state flag in bluebonnets for the 1986 Texas Sesquicentennial. Further research led to a deep maroon strain, the university's official color. I was able to see a maroon lupinus (or Lupine) thanks to Camille (mom-in-law) who called me the day after our drive to tell me about the ones growing in their neighborhood. You'll see the pictures I took of these at the end of this post. So, one beautiful sunny Saturday morning we all took off from our home and headed toward a small town named Llano, Texas. Mom & Dad Johnston had driven the route the weekend before and were so impressed with the abundance of Bluebonnets along the drive that they shared the route with us. It was a beautiful drive with amazing landscapes full of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes and lots of other wildflowers.
~all of these pictures were taken while we were driving. As you can see, Bluebonnets covered each side of the road.
~We stopped at a little place where there were lots of Bluebonnets on a corner lot just off the road. I love the contrast of the blue and yellow flowers! Makes me feel warm and happy!
~ I asked Jack to stop the car so that I could get out and take pictures of these cows grazing in the Bluebonnets. I just had to have a picture of Texas cows in the Texas Bluebonnets!
Anyway, the longer I stood there taking pictures, the more aggitated I could see the cows getting. So, I tried to hurry and as I got into the car I thanked them, as any nice southern girl would do, for allowing me to take their picture. Then, I told them "By the way, I don't eat you!" and to that Madi yells, "But I DO!" That crazy~funny Madi!
~wildflowers everywhere!
~The Bluebonnet's favorite companion, the Indian Paintbrush. These flowers are very vibrant with a deep redish-orange hue. They are beautiful!
~We stopped at the Buchanan dam which was along the drive. There were even Bluebonnets here, growing right out of the sand.
We found the perfect spot to stop and take family pictures...
However, we forgot to bring the tripod for my camera. "Someone" was in charge of loading the tripod, but failed on HIS responsiblity! We didn't realize this until we were out of the car and looking in the trunk for it! So, no family pictures, but here's what we did get...
~Madi and Bella. Madi looks so beautiful! I love how the wind is blowing her hair.
~Just Bella. She was hot and a little worried about what was going on.
~ I loved all the pictures I took of Jack and Bella! These two are too cute!
I played with each picture to give them a slightly different look and they all turned out nice.
~Madi, Bella and I. This is the only one of about ten pictures that I thought was alright of us. But, at least we have one!
~Jack, Madi & Bella.
~Jack, Bella and I. We think the pose is a little awkward looking, but again, it's the only one that we have to show!
Here's a few collages of all the good pictures from our drive. Some you have already seen above and some, you have not...
~What a great day for a Bluebonnet drive it was!
As I mentioned above, Camille called me and told me about the red lupines and on Sunday, I while visiting with her, I walked over and took a few pictures...
~Pretty, huh?
Jack has planted some lupine seeds in our flower beds in the back yard. I'm excited to see what colors we get and what kind of wildlife they will attract! So, hopefully, I'll have more pictures of these beautiful flowers to share soon!
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