5 Texas Wildflower Hidden Gems
Ennis, TX- Okay, this one is not "hidden" but definitely is a great place to go during April to see bluebonnets. Ennis is one of those places, I've always wanted to visit during the spring but somehow never made it out until now.
Over the past weekend, I decided to take a mini evening trip out to Ennis. Once I arrived, I didn't have too much time so I asked someone in the welcome center where the best places to see bluebonnets. The woman who helped me had the best recommendations and pointed to a small area of the map saying "if you're able to make it out to this area it's beautiful". That was all I needed to hop back in the car and head out to her recommendation on the bluebonnet trail.
All of the sudden the road turned into a small gravel road and there was nothing, no wildflowers just green hills for miles. I was worried I went to the wrong place or that specific spot may have been past it's prime. It didn't look promising, but I made the decision to at least drive to the end of the road. At the last minute, the road took a dip and on the next hill there were bluebonnets everywhere as far as the eye could see.
The majority of the bluebonnets were growing in front of someone's house. While I was taking photos, the owner invited me and one other family nearby to come into her front yard to be closer to the bluebonnets. She let us walk around to take photos by the wildflowers and her small gesture made the entire trip worth it.
Afterwards, I continued driving on the Ennis bluebonnet trail. By then, I was losing daylight but it was amazing. There were rural homes, rolling hills with cattle and bluebonnet fields everywhere. I was grateful for the serendipitous trip to Ennis and would rank it as number one for "top 5 places to go for wildflowers" in TX.
Ennis, Texas Bluebonnet Field
2. Cedar Hill State Park- If you're in the DFW area and you want something a little closer than Ennis I'd recommend going to Cedar Hill State Park. You do have to pay to get into the park, but it has some beautiful hiking trails, a lake and a picturesque bluebonnet area with some older barns which you're allowed to walk inside and explore. It's a great place to take photos as well.
3. Parks in Richardson- there may be occasional pockets of bluebonnets here, but the parks in Richardson have a variety of TX wildflowers including poppy's and other stalk flowers. It's a tradition they recently started called "Operation Bloom Town" in order to paint the landscape in the town with native flowers.
4. I-35 South (on the side of the highway, heading toward Waco)- there are beautiful sunflower fields here. When my Mom and I went, they were starting to wilt due to a lot of rain but it was still beautiful. Also, watch out where you step since you may run into a crawdad.
5. Local Lakes- Depending on the time of the year and where in Texas, you can find a variety of Texas wildflowers including bluebonnets. Last year, we drove out to a lake near us and found a beautiful patch of bluebonnets growing out of the roots and clay right by the water. It was definitely a unique spot, but may be the best place to go if you don't have time to drive far.
Lastly, the Dallas Arboretum has beautiful blooms year round from tulips in the spring to over 100 varieties of other blooms. It's a great place for photos or a family outing, but make sure to check the parking garage hours and to have your car out before that time, since they physically close the garages at that time. It's happened to many visitors including myself.
If you live in the area and know of other great places to see wildflowers, please share them in the comments below. I'd love to explore new areas.