HOUSTON—The cold, wet and snowy weather is giving some Texans the winter blues.
“Not if you’re living in Texas, you don’t want this kind of weather,” said Sandra Stephan, a Brenham native.
“I hate the rain,” said another Brenham resident.
While people in Brenham were ducking the weather, other native Texans were keeping their bonnets on and their heads up even in the snow. It may be hard to believe, but some bluebonnets are already in bloom in Brenham.
“This is one of our earliest yields, but yes it’s earlier than what we would have expected from all the cold weather we’ve had,” said Seneca McAdams of the Brenham/Washington County Chamber of Commerce.
And it’s only a sign of things to come for wildflower season. Experts say the rain and cold have kept the wildflowers pent up with their root systems building underground.
“When they finally do spike up, you’re going to get a substantial bloom,” said flower expert Mike Shoup.
Shoup owns the Antique Rose Emporium in Independence.
“We’re going to have a lot of wildflowers kind of emerge and say on your mark, get set, go,” said Shoup.
If anyone is an expert on bluebonnets, Shoup certainly is.
“You’re going to have spectacular fields of bluebonnets. You’re also going to have lots of things growing with the bluebonnets,” he said. “So, you’re going to have a much bigger diversity of successful flowering plants at the same time.”
A report released Tuesday by The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says this season will be exceptional—exploding in color. And it all has to do with our extended wet winter.
“This is the coldest winter we’ve ever had that I can remember,” said Stephan.
But it could also give Texans, one of the best wildflower seasons in memory.
To learn more about wildflower season, visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s website.
