Why Austin is seeing more wildflowers
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Blooms on a recent morning in Dick Nichols Park. Photo: Nicole Cobler/Axios
If it feels like Austin is bursting with flowers, you're not imagining it.
The big picture: Our recent rains could keep landscapes greener and more colorful for longer this summer, per the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
What they're saying: Amy Medley, lead horticulturist at the Wildflower Center, tells Axios the region is currently experiencing a superbloom of wildflowers along roadsides and in sunny meadows because of the late spring rains.
- "Our dry fall and winter might have affected early spring bloomers, such as the bluebonnets, but this left more space for the later wildflowers to flourish, aided by the steady rains."
What to look for: Medley says one unusual effect of the wet weather is the current flowering of some wildflowers that typically bloom in the fall. Among them:
Zoom in: Plus, it's hard to miss blooming Texas sage, which Medley calls a "barometer bush" because it shows its colors around rain.
- "They are completely carpeted in purplish pink blossoms around Austin right now."
- Though some plants are blooming early, they are still expected to flower again during their typical fall season, Medley says.
Pro tip: In a cultivated garden, deadheading your flowers can extend your lush flowering season even longer, according to Medley.
What's next: If rain continues, "the sheer number and the impact of the blooms will continue to be elevated," Medley says.
- "Typically, we begin to see an overall shift in color from the verdant color of spring into the tans and browns of summer. If this rain continues, our summer may be lusher and greener."
Zoom out: May is typically Austin's wettest month of the year.
- Camp Mabry saw 4.54 inches of rain last month, while Austin Bergstrom saw 7.96 inches, per the National Weather Service.
- Rain chances continue through Tuesday.
The bottom line: There are more blooms to come, Medley says.
- "It's a common misconception that wildflowers only bloom in the spring," she says.
- "We are fortunate in Central Texas to have blooms throughout the year, January through December, though some moments may be a bit quieter."