Texas is beautiful in springtime. This time of year, all along the roadways, bluebonnets and other wildflowers are making their annual flashy appearance and the sight is spectacular. This is usually a two to four week long event every March and April and it depends on the preceding winter’s rain and cold. The most stunning fields are undoubtedly those with full of blooming bluebonnets.

This wonderful flower is the official state flower of Texas. The original legislation specified Lupinus subcarnosus, but was amended later to include any other variety of bluebonnet. Although the Texas Hill Country boasts the most picturesque swaths of bluebonnets, fortunately there are reliable fields of wildflowers on the Upper Coastal Plains too, not far from Houston.

Last weekend, I went to the rural Washington County (map) and found some wonderful places to watch and photograph bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes (Castilleja indivisa) and other wildflowers.

All images were taken with my Canon EOS 7D camera, my 17-40mm F/4 L and my 70-200mm F/4 L lenses.