Bluebonnets are bountiful around DFW, even if that perfect photo eludes you

The quest for the perfect bluebonnet photo is a little tricky in these days of social media.

There are countless photos on the Internet that show that perfect field of blue. And while the photos are usually legit, there's often a question of when they were actually taken.

The Ennis Bluebonnet Trails has dealt with this issue firsthand.

This week, officials were directing wildflower lovers to the Meadow View Nature Area just west of Ennis, where the bluebonnets were peaking.

But visitors often bring a dated photo of the Field of Dreams, a 100-acre spot that was picture-perfect with a lone tree surrounded by bluebonnets, said Gina Rokas, the tourism director for the Ennis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"That picture is all over the Internet," Rokas said. "They don't realize that was 2012 but that's the photo they want."

On popular sites like wildflowerhaven.com or Facebook sites like Texas Bluebonnet Sightings and Texas Wildflower Report, most posts include the date and location where the photo was taken. Rokas advises wildflower lovers to look for those details before rushing out to capture that perfect image.

'Amazingly beautiful'

This year won't match the jaw-dropping wildflower season of 2012 but it's turning out to be a good one.

"It's above average in a lot of places but it's a banner year at Meadow View right now," said Rokas, who predicts other places along the trails will peak in the next week or two. The annual trails run April 1-30 and organizers post updates with directions of where the best fields of wildflowers are located.

Sandra Ochoa of Dallas was headed to Houston with her husband, Jose. She had always wanted to see the bluebonnets around Ennis and persuaded her husband to detour off Interstate 45 and take a look. She wasn't disappointed.

"They are amazingly beautiful," Ochoa said.

Unlike Ochoa, Holly Press of Athens makes a yearly trip to Meadow View to photograph her trained Australian shepherds. She showed up with a van full of them.

"It's just an annual thing I do," Press said. "This is the best place right here. It's off the road. It's a good place to take pictures of the dogs."

They've also added a new Ennis Y'all mobile app to help visitors navigate the trails near the city.

Weeds vs. wildflowers

In Tarrant County, the show of color started slowly along roads and culverts and has really blossomed in the last week. The bluebonnets can be seen along Interstate 30 in Fort Worth, Texas 360 in Arlington and Texas 114 in Southlake and Grapevine — and that's just to name a few spots.

Social media posters have put up photos of bluebonnets along U.S. 377 near Cresson as well as a yard in River Oaks.

How long the bluebonnets stick around will likely depend on how much rain falls over the next week or two.

"What I've seen is really nice," said Steve Chaney, a Texas A&M Agrilife Tarrant County Extension Agent for home horticulture. "It should be a really nice, nice year but if we keep getting wet weather they may get out-competed by the grasses and weeds."

Chaney has also noted Indian paintbrush, primrose and a few wild coreopsis starting to emerge.

"I think everything came together perfectly," Chaney said. "We had a mild winter and the right amount of rain along with a couple of cold freezes that helped with stratification. The bluebonnets really need that cold."

While bluebonnets will disappear by the end of April, other wildflowers such as Indian paintbrush will stick around through May, Chaney said.

At the start of the season, the Lady Bird Wildflower Center in Austin predicted the season would be "typical but still terrific."

Wildflowers have been blooming in South and Central Texas for weeks. There have been plenty of cool photos from the Texas Hill Country near Fredericksburg, Chappell Hill near Brenham and outside San Antonio.

Tips for enjoying bluebonnets

It's legal to pick bluebonnets, but not to the extent where rights-of-way or government property is destroyed. So keep the vehicles out of the wildflowers.

When exiting off a roadway to look at bluebonnets, make sure to signal.

Park well off the roadway in the direction of traffic.

Do not cross lanes of traffic to reach bluebonnets.

Do not trespass on private property for bluebonnet photos.

When in a bluebonnet field, watch for snakes and fire ants.

It is also illegal to pick wildflowers in state parks.

Staff writer Paul Moseley contributed to this report, which includes information from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas Parks and Wildlife.

This story was originally published April 6, 2018 at 9:27 AM with the headline "Bluebonnets are bountiful around DFW, even if that perfect photo eludes you."