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Where are those Legacy wildflowers?
Laura Bohls expressed mild concern about a stretch of Mopac near West Fifth Street, where wildflowers were seeded during the fall to commemorate longtime Austin businessman and outdoor enthusiast Everett Bohls.
Bohls had hoped for an April family photo on the roadside near Tarrytown. She was not alone.
Restaurateur Ann Boone of Hangtown Grill and her family had thrown a fundraiser for Lady Bird’s Legacy, but saw virtually no blooms further up Mopac between 35th and 45th streets.
Michael McGown worried about a mile of wildflowers on William Cannon Drive donated by Dorothy Longacre for her son’s birthday.
“I also made a substantial donation to the Lady Bird’s Legacy fund, and I have yet to see a single wildflower in the area I had seeded,” McGown said.
Texas Department of Transportation officials confirm that these areas were indeed sown with a special blend of native species during prime planting season this past fall. Experts give varying reasons why some wildflowers bloomed brilliantly this spring, while others failed to show their petals.
“With near perfect fall and winter rainfall, some folks are asking why the wildflower season is a bit delayed this spring,” said Damon Waitt, senior botanist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. “The most likely explanation is the third piece of the wildflower puzzle, warm sunny days and cool nights. With a cooler than average February and a spell of cold fronts moving through the area in March it is not surprising that we are just now seeing a peak of early spring bloomers like Indian paintbrush, pink evening primrose and the Texas bluebonnet.”
Department of Transportation officials confirmed that some wildflowers take two to three years to bloom. Also, the newer plants must also fight off established species stoked by the rainy winter.
Buddy Hudson, vegetation management specialist, said that appears to be the case on upper Mopac.
“This area is overrun with rye grass from the wet winter and spring and that’s what for the most part choked out the wildflowers this spring,” Hudson said. “This area was seeded in the later part of October last year with the seed that was marked for the site. Hopefully next year this area and others will be looking better.”
(See photo.)
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