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Texas Is Having Its Biggest Bluebonnet Bloom in a Decade

News National Parks
by Eben Diskin Mar 13, 2019

Not to be outdone by California’s super bloom, Texas is having a colorful flower bloom of its own this winter. Texas’s Big Bend National Park is in the midst of its largest bluebonnet bloom in decades. The local Texas Hill Country news site reported, “The bluffs and roadsides near and within Big Bend National Park are being overtaken by the strikingly beautiful Chisos bluebonnets.” According to this year’s Texas Bluebonnet & Wildlife Report, “Displays in some area will be well above average.”

The bloom is predicted to last about six weeks, i.e. until the first week of April, says Texas Travel to CNN. This year’s bluebonnet bloom, however, is different from the type of bloom normally found around Texas. This particular variety of bluebonnet, the Chisos Bluebonnet, is capable of growing up to three feet tall and arrives a few weeks earlier than other bluebonnets. This year’s early bloom is largely due to heavy rainfall earlier this year, as well as warmer temperatures.

If you’re planning on visiting Big Bend National Park, make sure to drive along River Road for some of the best bluebonnet viewing. Parking costs $30 per vehicle. To avoid the crowds at the national park — and the steep parking fee — you can visit Big Bend Ranch State Park instead, along Texas Highway 170 between Terlingua and Presidio, where the roadside bluebonnets are reported to be stunning.

H/T: Travel & Leisure

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