If you live in Central Texas and ever venture outside these days, which I certainly hope you do, then you are fully aware that it hasn't rained around here in some time. And... it's rather warm. In fact, if this weather pattern continues until the end of the month (anyone wanna' bet?) then Austin, Texas will have just experienced its' warmest April on record since record keeping began in 1854! The average temperature this month is a whopping 8.4 degrees above normal. And while we're on the topic of numbers and weather, the past 7 month period of October through April will most likely turn out to be the 3rd driest on record, with only 5.31" of rain during that period. Now, if you know me, you know I tend to be a bit obsessed about weather. I'm constantly glued to the weather radar screen like some people are to their favorite TV show. Yes, I wear a wristwatch that indicates barometric pressure drop and temperature. I have three outdoor thermometers, one of them digital and measures relative humidity. I have a rain gauge and a wind vane. Total geek.
Now in my defense, I do work outdoors all day long, every day, with little respite from the elements and like to be informed. My water source at my house comes from whatever the sky feels like sharing and is collected in a tank alongside my home. And I have a righteous garden that is not very happy right now. So, my obsessive/compulsive disorder about weather is understandable.
All this dry, sunny weather is great for outdoor weddings, backyard barbecues and painting your new deck. However, this weather pattern has deprived me and many other nature lovers from one of our favorite things about Spring in the Hill Country. Wildflowers.
The state flower of Texas, the bluebonnet, which was out in full force last Spring has been a virtual no-show this season. I have yet to spot even a single one at Rockmoor this year. In fact I have to really pay attention and look closely to find any wildflowers at all! The good news is, I have found some and want to share them with you. It goes to show that even in a prolonged drought as we are currently in, Texas wildflowers are adaptable and amazingly resilient.
So this is a sampling of what I found at the ranch in the month of April. It's ironic that I found a few Rain Lillies (the white one pictured above) as their fragrant blooms usually only pop open a few days after a heavy rain. We've only had trace amounts of rainfall at Rockmoor this past month. There is a slight chance for rain this coming weekend so I have my fingers crossed.
I'll post more pictures in Part II soon. Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Sally Anne
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