Texas Hill Country trip - March 2009
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I liked the informal, country gardens at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.
Texas Lantana; Lantana horrida
Verbena Family San Antonio, TX March 24, 2009 This is a very common plant along the roadsides in central Texas. The flowers are interesting, they change color after they have been pollinated.
Rock Rose; Pavonia Mallow; Pavonia lasiopetula
Mallow Family San Antonio, TX (Botanical Gardens) March 24, 2009
The San Antonio Riverwalk is another city "must do". The walkway is below the streets and is lined with shops and restaurants. We enjoyed watching the ducks and herons along the waterway. It was a wonder the ducks didn't get hit by the constant flow of the tour boats! It is very pretty at night. I thought it seemed a bit strange to have the river contained within walls.
Pea Family San Antonio, TX March 25, 2009 The distinctive green and white pinnately-compound leaves helped me identify this odd little flower. I found it growing in an empty lot close to our hotel.
Engelmann's Daisy; Engelmannia peristenia
San Antonio, TX March 24, 2009 This was a very common wildflower that grew all over south-central Texas, it didn't seem to be bothered by the drought a bit.
After we picked up our rental car, we headed for the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, I figured there would have to be a few wildflowers there! One of the first flowers we saw as we drove into the parking area were Bluebonnets! This is one of the many formal gardens. At this time of the year it was planted with pansies. We enjoyed seeing the different gardens, including the Japanese garden with the koi pond, the desert cactus and tropical area with bromeliads, ferns, euphorbias, and orchids. One large room in the conservatory was dedicated to just palms and cyads. A garden dedicated to blind visitors had plants with interesting textures and smells and had some of the plants labeled in Braille. I did find several other wildflowers in the Hill Country area, south Texas desert area and the Big Thicket sections.
A serene view of the Big Thicket pond at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. We we enjoyed watching the turtles, dragonflies and birds that lived around the pond.
During Spring Break 2009 (Mar. 24 - Apr. 2) Kenny and I went to the Hill Country of Central Texas in hopes of seeing the beautiful wildflowers. I didn't realize the area was in a record-breaking drought when I bought the airline tickets in January! Despite the harsh conditions I was still able to document 150 different wildflowers, 102 which were new to me. We drove 907 miles during the 10 days, where we visited San Antonio, Bastrop, Austin, Boerne, and Concan. We visited some state and city parks including: McKinney Falls SP, Bastrop SP, Lost Maples SP and Garner SP, the San Antonio Botanical Garden, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Cibolo Nature Center, and the Friedrich Natural Area. This photo of the Bluebonnets and the old house was taken at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, a lovely introduction to the Texas natural regions. map of trip...
San Antonio is full of one-way streets. One night we drove all over the downtown area trying to go to the Alamo. We finally parked on a street behind it and walked there. What a beautiful sight it was front-lit! It was nice to see it in the dark without all the throngs of tourists and distracting buildings we went back the next day.
Evening Primrose Family Bigfoot, TX April 1, 2009 No, this is not an April Fool's Day joke, there really is a Bigfoot, TX! Although the town is so small, I doubt its animal namesake could hide there! Actually, I was glad we drove on the backroads to that town, I saw a lot of roadside flowers that I wouldn't have if we had stayed on I-35 going back to San Antonio! This was one of the many flowers I photographed along the highway.
Some really gaudy south-of-the-border ceramic birds were for sale in El Mercado ("The Market") in downtown San Antonio. It was an interesting place to visit, but we didn't buy much. If you want souvenirs from Mexico, this is the place to go!
A fountain in one of the formal areas of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens.
False Dayflower; Tinantia anomala
(formerly Commelinantia anomala) / Dayflower Family San Antonio, TX (Botanical Gardens) March 24, 2009
San Antonio, TX March 24, 2009 I had been wanting to get a photo of a Purple Martin for a long time, so I was glad to find this fellow at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. These birds live in large colonies and will readily nest in houses provided for them. Martins are great insect-eaters that catch their prey in the air.
Angel Trumpets; Acleisanthes longiflora
Four-o'clock Family San Antonio, TX March 25, 2009 I was amazed to find this plant growing in an empty lot next to a used car lot! It had very long flowers to be such a small plant growing on the ground.
Mint Family San Antonio, TX March 25, 2009 I found this common wildflower blooming in a field behind a warehouse in the outskirts of San Antonio.
We didn't expect this to be our first view of Texas Longhorns! These skulls were for sale at El Mercado. I don't know which is worse, the Lone Star skull or the black velvet paintings! Do people really buy that stuff?!
Mallow Family Waelder, TX March 28, 2009 These beautiful, hot-pink flowers stand out along the roadsides.
Showy Evening Primrose; Oenothera speciosa
Evening Primrose Family San Antonio, TX March 24, 2009 This was the first wildflower we saw when we landed in San Antonio, in fact I noticed it growing along the runway medians at the airport! This primrose grows nearly everywhere in that area. I liked the shadows of the stamens and anthers in this photo.
These musicians were serenading patrons in a Mexican restaurant on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Their mariachi music was quite lively!
Straggler Daisy; Calyptocarpus vialis
Aster Family San Antonio, TX March 24, 2009 This little native wildflower grows EVERYWHERE in central Texas! It has a vining growth habit.
Texas Bindweed; Convolvulus equitans
Morning Glory Family San Antonio, TX March 25, 2009 I found this little star-shaped bindweed in an empty lot. It didn't seem to be as invasive as other bindweeds can be.
in downtown San Antonio contains the remains of many of the defenders of the Alamo. They are in a crypt just inside the door on the left.