Bluebonnet season

Wildflower experts reveal complex forecast for 2025 season in Texas

Texas Bluebonnets and Texas Paintbrushes are a common sight along the Texas highway

Photo courtesy of Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The annual Texas wildflower forecast sees a mixed outlook for 2025, with regional changes expected across the Lone Star State. According to experts at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, persistent drought conditions will likely impact blooms this year.

"If predicting the weather is a challenge, then predicting the wildflower bloom for a big state like Texas is even more of a challenge," says Johnson Wildflower Center horticulture director Andrea DeLong-Amaya in a press release. "With fluctuations in weather and micro-climate scenarios (where one small geographical area may have received different weather than others), it's sometimes hard to make a big sweeping prediction. This is one of those years."

Eastern Texas is projected to have a more robust display, while western regions may see fewer beloved species like Texas bluebonnets and paintbrush.

Blooms at the Wildflower Center
Despite variable conditions across Texas, the Wildflower Center offers a reliable destination for flower enthusiasts who are willing to travel to Austin. It's working on an upgrade across its nearly 300 acres of gardens, so things will only get more colorful in coming seasons.

"Our experts know how to coax blooms in our gardens," says executive director Lee Clippard. "Visitors to the Hill Country can guarantee a robust floral experience by visiting our gardens and trails this spring."

While early blooms might be sparse in some areas, experts suggest this could benefit late spring and summer species like firewheel and purple horsemint, especially if Texas sees more rain this spring.

Visitors planning their wildflower viewing trips might also enjoy the added attraction of the Wine & Wildflower Journey Passport program, offering tastings throughout the Hill Country's renowned wineries during peak bloom season. Those opening up their trip around the state can also add some reliable spots from past years for a better chance at success.

Wildflower of the Year
In addition to predictions on this year’s wildflower population, the Wildflower Center named Gregg's mistflower (Conoclinium greggii) as the 2025 Wildflower of the Year. This resilient perennial, featuring striking purplish-blue blooms, stands out for its extended flowering period from March through November and its particular appeal to pollinators, especially Queen butterflies.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center houses extensive gardens, walking trails, and educational exhibits in Austin. The facility honors Lady Bird Johnson's environmental legacy and vision.

hill country nature texas bluebonnets wildflowers

News for campers

New 650-acre state park coming to Lake Palestine in East Texas

Photo courtesy of TexasLand

Lake Palestine

East Texas is gaining a new state park at Lake Palestine that will include amenities like hike-and-bike trails, campsites, and lakefront access.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has paid more than $10 million for a 650-acre ranch at Lake Palestine that will be converted into a state park, the agency says. If the park opened today, it would be the 90th state park in Texas.

The ranch, roughly 100 miles southeast of Dallas, had been on the market for a little less than $10 million. Roughly 60 percent of the ranch is wooded, and about 40 percent is pastureland.

The foundation will make improvements to the site, about 18 miles west of Tyler, before handing it over to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in late 2027. That’s when funding from the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund will become available for the department to acquire the property.

The deal preserves one of the last large habitat sites in that part of East Texas and will ultimately expand public access to Lake Palestine. The lake encompasses more than 25,500 acres and touches four counties. White-tailed deer, bobcats, and waterfowl are among the creatures that populate the habitat.

“Opportunities to protect a property like this don’t come along very often, and when they do, timing is critical,” Anne Brown, the foundation’s executive director, said in a release. She said the land will “ultimately become a place where generations of Texans can enjoy the outdoors.”

The Pollard family had owned the ranch, which housed their pecan farm, since 1940. Aside from the pecan orchard, the property includes pine forests, ponds, a seven-acre lake, and Lake Palestine frontage.

Sam Pollard, president of Texas Pecan Nursery, said the property “is part of my soul. It means a lot to me that we can leave a legacy for people to enjoy.”

The foundation says visitors to the future park will be able to enjoy blufftop views of the lake, watch wildlife and birds, and walk around the pecan orchard. They’ll also be able to take advantage of boating, paddling, swimming, and fishing at Lake Palestine.

Rodney Franklin, director of the state park system, called the site an “East Texas gem” and thanked the Pollards for enabling “this special slice of the Pineywoods to be accessible for generations of Texans.”

The parks and wildlife agency plans to create the park in phases, starting with guided access, followed by daytime access and then full-day and overnight access. The agency will invite public input about the park’s development.

Planned amenities include hike-and-bike trails, traditional and primitive campsites, day-use areas and lakefront access.

The NextEra Energy Foundation, a philanthropic arm of NextEra Energy and NextEra Energy Resources, chipped in $100,000 to support the future park. NextEra supplies electricity to about one million customers in Texas, mostly through its Gexa Energy subsidiary.

In addition, the wildlife foundation tapped into the state’s Land Conservation Loan Fund for the ranch purchase. The voter-approved, donor-supported fund aids land conservation efforts. Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies was an inaugural backer of the loan fund.

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