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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Tuesday - January 25, 2005

From: Cleveland, TN
Region: Southwest
Topic: Wildflowers
Title: Peak times for viewing wildflowers in Texas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

We are planning a trip to Texas to see wildflowers this spring. I have time off March 17-25. Would you expect to see much in bloom then? What area might be the best to visit? Does anyone put reports on the web?

ANSWER:

Mid-March will be a little early for abundant blooms, but there should be some bluebonnets and other wildflowers beginning to bloom in Central Texas. The peak of the bluebonnet season is usually early to mid-April. You can get an idea of some of the wildflowers that will be in bloom in March on the Wildflower Center web-page. Just choose "Explore Plants" from the side bar and then choose "Offshoots". From "Offshoots" choose "Slide Shows" and then "Wildflowers of Central Texas".

Look for our annual Wildflower Forecast from the Wildflower Center web page that will appear during early Spring, a service providing info on travel routes for best wildflower viewing in Texas. Another resource is provided by the Texas Department of Transportation. They have a Travel Information line that provides up-to-date information of seasonal road conditions on Texas public highways. Their phone number is: 1-800-452-9292. They also support and have partnered with Lone Star Internet, Inc. with a "Wildflower Sightings" web-page, where you can view past years sightings. Additionally, another resource is provided by the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau (Wildflower Watch).
 

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