Pink Flamingo GTG - 4th Day - Willow City Loop Wildflowers

If you love Texas wildflowers, you need to plan on visiting the Willow City Loop during the wildflower season.  Even if the year isn't great for wildflowers, you will still enjoy the drive but, if you are lucky enough to visit when the temperature is right and the rainfall was good, it is nothing short of spectacular.  It is a unique drive because much of it goes through private property and the ranchers are gracious enough to let people drive through during wildflower season.  They ask that you don't get out of your car and walk in the fields or open gates because cattle are present in the area.  You can enter off of Hwy 16 north of Fredricksburg or you can head off 16 towards Willow City and then come back towards 16.  "Willow City" is not much more than a little store so don't expect to see even a town.  We came in from the Willow City end.  If you love wildflowers, press on.  If not, you can come back later.

We knew that the wildflowers were past their peak but we wanted to see what we could anyway.  They were earlier than usual this year because of the warm winter and rainfalls.  At first we didn't see too many bluebonnets along the road.

But then small patches of them began to appear.

Even without wildflowers to brighten the landscape, the views in the hill country are beautiful.

The cactus were also starting to flower.

Then we began to see more bluebonnets in bigger groups.

This is rocky country so there is more than one reason to stay in your car.  

This is the gate to one of the ranches along the route.

The cattle were enjoying the wildflowers too.  Remember I told you that you would be traveling right through their pastures.

Can you imagine what this looked like before the flowers were past their "prime viewing"?

This area was carpeted in the red flowers as far as you could see.

This ranch house had its own llama grazing in the front yard.

The flowers formed a perfect circle around the base of the tree.  I hope you enjoyed the trip through the wildflowers.  This is probably the last you will see from me this year.  This has been a beautiful Texas spring.