Every spring in central Texas, vibrant splashes of pinks, reds, blues, oranges, purples and yellows burst forth in fields and highway shoulders. Bluebonnets, yellow buttercups, scarlet phlox, orange Indian paintbrushes, pink evening primroses and purple winecups, in full bloom, blanket the landscape like a prize-winning patchwork quilt, attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. World-renowned for its beautiful annual wildflower display, the Texas Hill Country Wildflower Trail winds through the countryside, including the towns of Brady, Burnet, Early, Fredericksburg, Goldthwaite, Johnson City, Llampasas, Llano, Mason and San Saba, where festivals are held each spring in celebration of nature's spelendid exhibit.
The Bluebonnet Festival, held in Burnet during the second weekend of April, features live entertainment, a gunfighter's shootout, a car show, pet parade, and many food and craft vendors. Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas. Thousands of them bloom along highway edges and cover the fields like an ocean of blue. Occasionally a white variety appears among the blue and, even more rarely, a pink or maroon bluebonnet is seen. It is commonly believed that, originally, the only place these maroon flowers could be found were just south of downtown San Antonio, giving rise to the Legend of the Pink Bluebonnet. They are sometimes called Alamo Fire.
According to Indian legend, the blue variety is said to have its origin in a little Comanche girl's sacrifice of her doll. Other Texas wildflowers are also the star of legends. One Native American story tells how, long ago, the Indian Paintbrush took its colors from a brilliant sunset, and the royally colored wine cup is the subject of an ancient story involving The Dance of the Wine Cup and a dying king of India.
The Pedernales Valley Wildflower Festival will be April 5-18th, just 7 miles east of Fredericksburg, at Wildseed Farms, the nation's largest working wildflower seed farm. The entire family can enjoy a leisurely self-guided tour through 200 fragrant acres of bluebonnets, red corn poppies, phlox and the beautiful pink, purple and white Rocket Larkspurs. In the Market Place, a huge selection of crafts, gifts and over 90 species of wildflower seeds, including the Alamo Fire Bluebonnets, are available. The Brew-Bonnet Biergarten and Garten Haus offer visitors a relaxing place to rest and have a drink, taco, or ice cream. Then guests can mosey on over to the Blumen Haus for a bouquet of fresh cut flowers. On April 1, just in time for Spring, Wildseed Farms will open its new 3,000 square foot exhibit, the Butterfly Haus, where visitors can walk amongst hundreds of feeding, flying butterflies and hummingbirds. Wildseed Farms is open 7 days a week, with free admission, and has long been a favorite place of the former First Lady, Mrs. Lyndon Johnson
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