Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 6, 1978 Page: 3 of 8
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APRIL 6, 1978
SOUTH JETTY
PAGE 3
Jack Moore is out of town this week, but will return with his regular
column in this paper next week.
Wildflowers In Form Now
Texas brags cover a wide
variety of assets, but one of the
loveliest ways in which the state
is wealthy is its unmatched
treasury of wildflowers.
Every spring the state is
bedecked with these jewels of
nature. They are on view even for
city dwellers, but for those who
get out into the country there’s a
show to lift the spirits.
Many state parks are among
the choicest locations. And since
the parks are in every part of the
state, visitors to them can find
colorful displays representative of
each region. The Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department recommends
this is the time to be planning
trips to catch the wildflowers at
their spring peak.
It is because of the vast land
area of Texas and its great
diversity of climate and geography
that the state holds the record in
numbers of wild plant species. A
sample of each would make up a
Texas-size bouquet of more than
5,000 varieties.
Some thrive only in limited
localities; others can do well
anywhere. Wallflower and scarlet
salvia, for example, grow best in
dirt-filled crevices of a limestone
bluff and goose grass is found
only in saline, coastal soils, the
common firewheel is versatile,
blossoming deep red in sandy soil
and red with yellow borders in
black soil. Mountain daisy and
blazing star do well on limestone
hills and sandy prairies without
changing color or size.
Weather triggers the blooming
dates, which begin at the warmest
or southernmost limit for each
variety, moving northward approx-
imately 15 miles per day. Blooming
occurs after heavy rains for some
flowers, like the rain lilies, retama
and desert willow.
The beloved bluebonnet, the
state flower, is found in most
parts of Texas. In the Hill Country
particularly, fields and hillsides
suddenly turn into rippling seas of
vivid blue.
The heart of Texas also hosts
the honeysuckle, golden huisaehc,
buttercups, daisies, poppies, sun-
flowers, gaiilardia and a throng of
others, not forgetting the Indian
paintbrush in all its shades of
rose, crimson and gold.
The magnolia is at home in the
bayous, swamps and river bottoms
of East Texas, which also is
famed for its flowering dogwood
and redwood and climbing wild
rose. The high rainfall of this
region encourages numerous other
flowering species.
Further north, the plains and
Panhandle will burst out with the
prairie lily, red star mallow',
Venus looking glass and blue-eyed
grass and many smaller varieties
of blossoms found earlier else-
where. The tall yuccas, with their
creamy, bell-shaped blooms, are a
feature west of the Pecos. The
desert willow flowers where there
are streams and the heavy-scented
mountain laurel on the steep
western slopes.
The Rio Grande Valley has been
described as “the garden of
chapparal.” A multitude of exotic,
half-tropical plants make this a
botanist’s dream. After a rain, the
gray cenizo becomes a delicate
lavender. The showy red and
yellow bird of paradise and the
amapola poppy suddenly are
rivalled by the myriad forms of
cactus which, like ugly ducklings,
become transformed in fiesta
attire.
It is hard to pin down exact
locations for wildflowers. Many
were transplants from the Old
World, arriving with the settlers.
Plants follow changing land condi-
tions such as irrigation and marsh
draining. Sometimes flowers and
seeds are carried along in
commercial vehicles. Some, like
the mesquite, need no help in
their expansion.
A number of plants have
become rare, from natural causes
or usually from encroaching civili-
zation or overpicking. By state
law, it is forbidden to pick
wildflowers or injure trees and
shrubs on highways and state
lands. Many organizations now
are active in reseeding and other
conservation efforts.
When »t’^ soring in Texas vou
don’t have to own an oil well to
feel like a millionaire. Anyone can
experience the glory of the
wildflowers under the bright blue
Southwest sky — and it’s a good
thought to know that, especially in
the state parks, the same breath-
taking wonder will be there also
for future generations.
749-6918
OPEN
4 PM —'TIL
Closed Mon.
SEAFOOD
m
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Shifting
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RESTAURANT
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COCKTAILS
The Island’s Finest & Freshest Seafood”
IN THE ISLAND STATE BANK BUILDINC
RELAXED DINING FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
ON THE GULF BEACH
IN BEAUTIFUL PORT ARANSAS
9 Stories - 88 Luxury One, Two and Three Bedroom Units
Spectacular View of the Gulf, Port Aransas, and Ship Channel
Pool, Tennis Courts, Lanai, and Rec Room
Scheduled for Completion This Year.
For more information write The Dunes Corporation,
P.0. Box 896, Corpus Christi, Texas 78403, or phone AC 512 883-4307.
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Frishman, Steve. Port Aransas South Jetty (Port Aransas, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 6, 1978, newspaper, April 6, 1978; Port Aransas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth623856/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Ellis Memorial Library.