Thanks to the sowing of seeds last fall by a resident in our neighborhood, this corner is bursting with Bluebonnet blooms. Yes that’s right, we are not out in the middle of the country, viewing a field of Bluebonnets alongside a country road. We are in a suburban west Houston neighborhood where the wildflowers have gone wild.
Popping up through the cracks and creaves in the sidewalk near a stop sign, this corner is a show stopper that got me out of my car, and literally lying on the pavement snapping photos.
I waited until just before sunset when the shadows and angle would diffuse through the petals. I noticed that the photographs looked the best when taken with the sunlight in front of me, and near sunset. That soft light filters through the flower petals and illuminates them. I’ve read that photography is better with the sun behind you, but I found the colors to be faded and opaque as in this photo below. I guess it is like taking photos of a sunset. The photos just before the sun drops below the horizon create the most beautiful images. Experiment for yourself and see which lighting creates the best photographs for your camera.
Notice the seed pods in the lower left corner of the photo? You’ll need to wait for them to turn brown and for the seeds inside to rattle when you shake the pods. Learn more about saving these seeds in this post at Zanthan Gardens.
In Houston, sowing wildflower seeds is best done in the fall (late November / early December ). You can buy seeds online at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg Texas and at fine garden centers in Houston. If you find seeds now, it’s okay to buy them and store them in the refrigerator until fall.
