On Texas Independence Day, people are getting excited about the first sight of the Texas state flower.
It’s just the very beginning of wildflower season, and bluebonnets are starting to bloom across the Austin area.
The state flower sightings have many people paying a visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center to catch a glimpse of its Texan beauty.
“I’m super excited to see the first bluebonnets,” said Vivian Loftin, a visitor. “It gets your blood flowing. You hear the birds singing and the bluebonnets springing.”
“They’re starting to bloom,” another visitor said. “My husband said we were not going to find bluebonnets today, but I knew the Wildflower Center always has bluebonnets and on Texas Independence Day... of course you’ve got to find them today.”
"Starting to bloom" is the key phrase.
“It’s the first week of April that we see just these giant fields of bluebonnets everywhere,” said Lee Clippard, the director of communications at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
So, we’re not quite there yet, but Clippard said location plays a key role in when you’ll actually see them.
“Usually in the urban areas where it’s a lot warmer like nearer to downtown Austin or along I 35 and Mopac, things will bloom a lot sooner because it’s warmer,” said Clippard.
Compared to last year, Clippard said this is a normal wildflower season because Texas had a standard winter. But, no matter when they start to show, people said they were excited just to see them around.