EARLY MOTHER'S DAY FLOWERS

Daffodils, cherry blossoms and tulips are scarce in central Texas. So, instead of "tiptoeing thru the tulips" for enjoying early Mother’s Day flowers, we went "waltzing thru the wildflowers!" May seems to be central Texas’ month to change the colors of the landscape. Wildflowers of various types and colors burst forth in a dazzling show across the usual tan, green and brown hues.

McKinney Falls State Park is just southeast of Austin, Texas. We’ve spent our two days there hiking and drinking in the beauty of the wildflowers.

Vistas like this greeted us nearly every place we turned our eyes. Some of the blooms we could readily identify.

Indian Blankets (or Gilardia)

Texas Prickly Pear Cactus Bloom

Black-eyed Susans

Canada Thistle 

Others were new to us. We bought "A Field Guide to Texas Wildflowers," hoping it would help us identify others.

Prickly Poppy

Star Thistle

Buffalo Gourd Bloom

Dayflower

Winecup Poppy Mallow

Mealy Sage

But, for most of the colorful blooms, we had to be content to enjoy their beauty as strangers, not knowing their names. Yellow seemed to be the wildflower fashion color this season.

But white, pink, and lavender and purple of various shades were also popular colors.

We also enjoyed hiking to the waterfalls that give the park its name.

The Upper Falls on Onion Creek.

The Lower Falls where Onion Creek is joined by Williamson Creek.

The turtles, too, were enjoying the sunshine on their "tanning logs."

Tomorrow, we’re off to Waco, Texas. I hope there are more Mother’s Day flowers up there!