Bluebonnicator: March 7, 2013

It's the return of the Bluebonnicator!

This year is shaping up to be a very good year for bluebonnets in Brenham! Just one week into March and there are already bluebonnets in full bloom in and around town. That's perfect if you're coming into town on Saturday for Noble's birthday party. Bring a camera, take a drive in the country and see some bluebonnets while you're here!

I've had reports (and photos) of bluebonnets popping up all over. It's not peak season yet, but they're starting out great!

This week's Bluebonnicator is at 30% - the highest start of Bluebonnet season in Bluebonnicator history!

This would be a good time to remind everyone about some general guidelines:

1. Don't trample the bluebonnets. Try to step only in the areas between the bluebonnet plants. It might require you to what I call "the bluebonnet hop", butit will keep the plants looking great for everyone.

2. Don't pick the bluebonnets. Period. Get some seeds off the bottom of the plant instead and grow your own! Besides, it's against the law to pick the bloom.

3. Don't go romping through people's yards and fields to take pictures without permission. It really, really makes the locals mad when "city folks" come up and go on quarter mile hikes into their pastures to take their family's picture in the bluebonnets. It's private property, and it's just rude. Most times, if you'll just ask permission it will be okay, but there are plenty of great photo opportunities on public land. The state makes sure of that.

4. Watch out for fire ants! The same kind of soil that is great for growing bluebonnets is also prime for fire ants. Watch out! [and watch out for snakes, too!]

5. Ask a local. As I said before, there a lot of great photo places to take your family's photo in bluebonnets. And a lot of them are very easily accessible, but might not be able to be seen from the highway. Ask a local where some great shots can be had as you buy some Blue Bell ice cream or a sandwich or an antique from their shop.

6. Don't cross a fence. I've heard a lot of stories since we moved up here about tourists crossing fences. Some stories involve getting chased by bulls, some involve broken fences and some involve animals getting loose. But every one of the stories involved trespassing and ticked off the land owner. I've been guilty of this in the past - I admit it - but now I know better, and I'm letting you all know, as well.

7. Have a great time, outdoors. Get outside and enjoy the spring air and the sunshine. You can't see the bluebonets from your living room couch, folks. Unless you live in Brenham, that is. ;)

Bluebonnicator: March 23, 2012

The flowers are great out there!  The weather is great out there!  If you're planning on getting out to see some bluebonnets, you won't have to look very long or hard - they're everywhere!

There are some great field along 290 on the way to Brenham.  One of the best is just after the Brazos river bridge after the Washington County sign.  There are also some AMAZING fields on the right just before Chappell Hill and on the left near Winkelmann, Texas (the place that looks like a ghost town just before Brenham.)

Get outside this weekend and enjoy some fresh air and take some photos of the kids!

This week the Bluebonnicator is at 85%!

Bluebonnicator Report - March 15, 2012

What a difference a couple of weeks and some good rain makes!  Two weeks ago, the flowers were sparse, but now they're coming up almost everywhere you look!  Some really good, thick patches are starting to develop and they're getting thick enough now to start taking pictures of the kids in.

I still haven't seen any whole fields of either bluebonnets or Indian paint brushes yet, but after the good rain the Brenham and Washington County area had in the past week, it can't be long now.  In addition, there are some great other colored flowers, too, such as deep purples, lavenders and LOTS of yellow flowers.

The flowers are starting to get really good, so start planning that family trip to get out and see them.

This week's Bluebonnicator stands at 50%.

This would be a good time to remind everyone about some general guidelines:

1. Don't trample the bluebonnets. Try to step only in the areas between the bluebonnet plants. It might require you to what I call "the bluebonnet hop", butit will keep the plants looking great for everyone.

2. Don't pick the bluebonnets. Period. Get some seeds off the bottom of the plant instead and grow your own! Besides, it's against the law to pick the bloom.

3. Don't go romping through people's yards and fields to take pictures without permission. It really, really makes the locals mad when "city folks" come up and go on quarter mile hikes into their pastures to take their family's picture in the bluebonnets. It's private property, and it's just rude. Most times, if you'll just ask permission it will be okay, but there are plenty of great photo opportunities on public land. The state makes sure of that.

4. Watch out for fire ants! The same kind of soil that is great for growing bluebonnets is also prime for fire ants. Watch out! [and watch out for snakes, too!]

5. Ask a local. As I said before, there a lot of great photo places to take your family's photo in bluebonnets. And a lot of them are very easily accessible, but might not be able to be seen from the highway. Ask a local where some great shots can be had as you buy some Blue Bell ice cream or a sandwich or an antique from their shop.

6. Don't cross a fence. I've heard a lot of stories since we moved up here about tourists crossing fences. Some stories involve getting chased by bulls, some involve broken fences and some involve animals getting loose. But every one of the stories involved trespassing and ticked off the land owner. I've been guilty of this in the past - I admit it - but now I know better, and I'm letting you all know, as well.

7. Have a great time, outdoors. Get outside and enjoy the spring air and the sunshine. You can't see the bluebonets from your living room couch, folks. Unless you live in Brenham, that is. ;)

Bluebonnicator: March 2

It's the return of the Bluebonnicator!

The Bluebonnicator is designed to tell you how the bluebonnets (and the equally awesome Indian Paintbrushes) are looking before you hop in the car and drive more than an hour only to find that you should've wait a couple more weeks.

So without further ado:

The bluebonnets are starting to pop up in and around Brenham.  The great rain we got in February has really made everything green, and the warm temperatures in the past week have started bringing out the wildflowers a little.

The flowers patches that we've seen still aren't picture worthy, unless you want to take pictures of your kids behind just one or two flowers.  And what's interesting is that the flowers aren't popping up yet in some of the places where they are traditionally the best.  Where we've seen them are in people's yards (and a really great patch in the sand volleyball court at the Brenham aquatic center (which isn't open yet.)

Best to wait a couple of weeks before planning that wildflower photo trip as this week, the Bluebonnicator reads only:

10%

Bluebonnicator Report: March 31

When we last left our hero, the Bluebonnicator, it stood at 30 percent. The flowers were not so great yet and prospects were looking iffy.

What a difference two weeks make.

Spring is officially here and the flowers are out, folks - and they're looking really good. What's weird is that the places where the flowers are usually the best aren't all that great this year. My suggestion is to get off the beaten path and explore some of the farm-to-market roads. There are some amazing patches to be seen there!

This would be a good time to remind everyone about some general guidelines:

1. Don't trample the bluebonnets. Try to step only in the areas between the bluebonnet plants. It might require you to what I call "the bluebonnet hop", butit will keep the plants looking great for everyone.

2. Don't pick the bluebonnets. Period. Get some seeds off the bottom of the plant instead and grow your own! Besides, it's against the law to pick the bloom.

3. Don't go romping through people's yards and fields to take pictures without permission. It really, really makes the locals mad when "city folks" come up and go on quarter mile hikes into their pastures to take their family's picture in the bluebonnets. It's private property, and it's just rude. Most times, if you'll just ask permission it will be okay, but there are plenty of great photo opportunities on public land. The state makes sure of that.

4. Watch out for fire ants! The same kind of soil that is great for growing bluebonnets is also prime for fire ants. Watch out! [and watch out for snakes, too!]

5. Ask a local. As I said before, there a lot of great photo places to take your family's photo in bluebonnets. And a lot of them are very easily accessible, but might not be able to be seen from the highway. Ask a local where some great shots can be had as you buy some Blue Bell ice cream or a sandwich or an antique from their shop.

6. Don't cross a fence. I've heard a lot of stories since we moved up here about tourists crossing fences. Some stories involve getting chased by bulls, some involve broken fences and some involve animals getting loose. But every one of the stories involved trespassing and ticked off the land owner. I've been guilty of this in the past - I admit it - but now I know better, and I'm letting you all know, as well.

7. Have a great time, outdoors. Get outside and enjoy the spring air and the sunshine. You can't see the bluebonets from your living room couch, folks. Unless you live in Brenham, that is. ;)

So without further ado, it's time for this week's Bluebonnicator index:

60%

We still haven't gotten the rain that we need to make the bluebonnets amazing, but there are some great patches popping up, regardless!

Bluebonnicator: March 18

Big changes in the last week. Lost of sun, warm weather and a little bit of rain have really started bringing out the flowers off all types. It's getting really pretty out there, and bluebonnets are starting to pop up in lots of places - but not in places where they're usually really good and not in any great numbers (yet).

A couple more weeks and more rain will really help the bluebonnets.

So this week's Bluebonnicator index is:

30%

Bluebonnicator Report: March 10

The weather is warming, the sun is shining and the grass is getting that really pretty soft, green look to it. Spring is here! And the good news is that there have been some bluebonnet sightings! I've noticed a few flowers popping up around town and there has even been a report of bluebonnets on the highway next to Arby's (thanks, Sherri). There are even two bluebonnet plants growing right here in Pharaonsylvannia (but no flowers on them yet).

The flowers that I've seen around town aren't very deep-colored yet and they're pretty sparse. I've noticed a couple of Indian paintbrushes pop up, as well. Seriously- two flowers.

So this week's Blubonnicator index is:

10%

It's getting there. Another couple of weeks of warm weather with a couple of days of rain in there and those wildflowers will be everywhere. Just not quite yet...

The Return of the Bluebonnicator!

It's March, and that means that it's time to start thinking about getting outside and enjoying the fresh air and springtime flowers. Many of our friends and family ask us how the bluebonnets are looking, so I came up with a handy gauge to show exactly how good the bluebonnets are for the upcoming weekend - the Bluebonnicator (patent still pending).

Every Thursday throughout March and April we'll post the official Bluebonnicator index for Brenham, Texas (the Bluebonnet capital of the world) for the upcoming weekend .

So, without further ado, this week's Bluebonnicator index is:

0. Zero. None. Nada. Don't waste your time. The freezing weather we all got just a couple of weeks ago has made the flowers a little late this year. In fact, things are just now starting to green up.

That's not to say there aren't great reasons to come visit Brenham this weekend - for a little piratey fun, say. But just don't expect to see any bluebonnets yet.

Bluebonnet Status Update

Great news for the weekend, everybody! The Bluebonnicator (patent pending) is at 90% for the weekend.

The flowers are out, their color is awesome and there are plenty of them. The only thing that keeps the Bluebonnicator (patent pending) from being at 100% this weekend is that the flowers still seem to be coming up in some places. But make no mistake, beginning this weekend the wildflower viewing in Brenham and surrounding areas is going to be amazing. And with the rain we got this week, everything should be nice and green.

To top it off, it's supposed to be sunny with low humidity and highs in the 70s. It doesn't get much more perfect than this.

If you're coming up from Houston, be sure to stop by Chappell Hill and check out the annual Texas Bluebonnet Festival for all kinds of crafts, art and festival food of every kind.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Bluebonnet Status Update

If you're wondering about how the bluebonnets are looking, here's a handy little indicator I've come up with: the BlueBonnicator (patent pending)!

The bluebonnets were a little slow coming out this year due to the late freeze in February, but with some pretty good rainfall and nice weather they're starting to really pop. The color of the flowers this year is really good, too.

The BlueBonnicator (patent pending) for bluebonnet viewing this weekend is at 70%, perfect for an Easter Sunday trip!

Have a great weekend!