It wasn’t just Inks Lake State Park
It wasn’t just Inks Lake State Park that was spectacularly flowerful on March 26th. We found that many places along TX 29 from Liberty Hill in Williamson County all the way to the turnoff for the park also sported wildflower displays better than I’d ever seen on that stretch of highway. Here are two views from TX 29 east of the junction with Park Road 4. The red blanketflowers seem to be Gaillardia amblyodon. The brown-centered yellow flower heads are Coreopsis basalis. The white ones are lazy daisies, Aphanostephus skirrhobasis. The all-yellow flower heads appear to be sleepy daisies, Xanthisma texanum subsp. drummondii.
© 2023 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
I’ll repeat it…you have the makings for a great series of jigsaw puzzles. These would all be very challenging. Those meadows filled with wildflowers are to be envied for those of us in more forested areas.
Steve Gingold
June 2, 2023 at 4:43 AM
Wildflower lovers might even dance a jig once they saw the puzzles you’ve imagined.
It just occurred to me that if a jigsaw puzzle were allowed to have irregular edges rather than the traditional straight ones, it would be a lot harder to solve.
Steve Schwartzman
June 2, 2023 at 6:07 AM
I have to agree about the puzzles!
Alessandra Chaves
June 2, 2023 at 9:49 PM
That makes two votes for puzzles from these pictures.
Steve Schwartzman
June 2, 2023 at 10:35 PM
A feast for the eyes. Have you ever tested your eyes and your puzzle skills on a circular jigsaw? I haven’t because I find the traditional jigsaws challenging enough. And I would never manage a jigsaw made from these images!
Gallivanta
June 2, 2023 at 7:34 AM
It’s been decades since I worked a jigsaw puzzle of any kind, so I suspect I wouldn’t be very good at dealing with one now, especially a circular one. In contrast, I’ve had lots of recent experience dealing with floral feasts for the eyes.
Steve Schwartzman
June 2, 2023 at 8:54 AM
You found more gorgeous carpets of wildflowers!
circadianreflections
June 2, 2023 at 7:55 AM
Sure did. It’s a great way to approach the end of the spring wildflower season.
Steve Schwartzman
June 2, 2023 at 8:55 AM
Reminds me of calico fabric.
Eliza Waters
June 2, 2023 at 11:59 AM
I looked at some online images of calico fabric. I see what you mean.
Steve Schwartzman
June 2, 2023 at 3:52 PM
I do think your assessment of the red blanket flower as being G. amblyodon is right. One thing I’ve noticed — apart from that luscious color — is a greater number of ray florets in that species. While G. aestivalis and G. pinnatifida tend to have fewer, somewhat separated rays, G. amblyodon often has the look of a flower that’s packed as many rays as possible into its space. I think I mentioned that I’ve seen large colonies of the species in Kerr and Gillespie counties — right where the books say they should be — and they certainly had the same appearance as what you’ve shown.
shoreacres
June 2, 2023 at 9:24 PM
I appreciate your observation about Gaillardia amblyodon tending to pack in a lot of ray florets. I’ll pay attention to that next time. I did check and confirmed that the species grows in Burnet County, which I found reassuring. I know what you mean about the other two species you mentioned having few and separated rays.
Steve Schwartzman
June 2, 2023 at 10:34 PM
So prettY! Did you try some close ups as well?
Alessandra Chaves
June 2, 2023 at 9:49 PM
On this day trip I concentrated on the broad expanses of dense wildflowers while they were still so impressive. Individual flowers of many species are available in Austin, and I’ve done plenty of closeups of those. If I go back there I’ll try for closeups of the species I don’t find in Austin.
Steve Schwartzman
June 2, 2023 at 10:29 PM
Wow, these certainly are spectacular! I’m amused by the daisy names…sounds like they should be snoozing in the sun, or just taking it easy.
Ann Mackay
June 4, 2023 at 5:41 PM
Spectacular, yes, that describes our Texas wildflowers in the spring, especially in a good year like this one. As for the name lazy daisy, the website of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says its “flowers are closed all morning, opening by midday and giving the plant its common name.” That also fits the alternative common name doze daisy.
Steve Schwartzman
June 4, 2023 at 6:39 PM
The variety of wildflower fields you find and photograph just amazes me!
denisebushphoto
June 6, 2023 at 11:58 AM
It does seem amazing, yet that’s how central Texas is. I sometimes wish I could experience how fantastic it must have been here 200 years ago, before farming and ranching increasingly took over large parts of the land.
Steve Schwartzman
June 6, 2023 at 2:02 PM