Texas Cultivates Spectacular Wildflower Displays

More than 5,000 species of flowering plants are native to the Lone Star State. Many of these beautiful wildflowers can be seen blooming along Texas roadways. 

To help maintain more than 800,000 acres of highway right-of-way across the state, the Texas Department of Transportation buys and sows nearly 30,000 pounds of wildflower seed each year. In addition to making our highways look great, the flowers help reduce maintenance and labor costs by encouraging the growth of native species that need less mowing and care. The native grasses and flowers also help to conserve water!

Prime Times & Places

According to Texas Highways magazine March, April and May are prime blooming months in Texas. Dogwood festivals in Woodville and Palestine celebrate the season with special events usually held on the last two weekends in March and the first weekend in April. Bluebonnets, too, are in their glory all during April. One of the oldest bluebonnet trails is in Ennis, featuring more than 40 miles of well-marked routes. Trails in Washington County are charted from Brenham and Chappell Hill, while La Grange offers bluebonnet trails in Fayette County. Farther west, the Highland Lakes Bluebonnet Trail loops through the scenic Hill Country, usually on the first two weekends in April. In Northeast Texas, a signed wildflower route on the last full weekend in April showcases dozens of beautiful wild species between the towns of Avinger, Hughes Springs and Linden. A floral treat in mid-March is the Houston Azalea Trail, when the cultivated, manicured gardens of some of the city’s prestigious homes are open to the public. 

 http://www.texashighways.com/wildflowers

Here's a guide to help you identify some common Texas wildflowers.

http://takecareoftexas.org/hot-wire/identify-common-texas-wildflowers

Led by Dallas-Ft Worth, Texas Sets New Housing Records in 2016

Texas home sales hit record levels last year for both prices and the number of properties purchased.  It was the second year in a row that the Lone Star State's housing market reached an all-time high, according to a report by the Texas Association of Realtors.  "Strong gains in end-of-year home sales activity were a key factor in making 2016 another record year for Texas real estate," said Vicki Fullerton, chairman of the Texas Association of Realtors. "Last year's record home sales activity was fueled by the momentum of multiple years' strong job and population growth across the state, despite the fact that Texas job and economic growth began to slow in 2016."  

Real estate agents sold 323,607 homes in the state last year — an increase of 4.4 percent from 2015, the Austin-based real estate trade group reports. Median sales prices rose 7.6 percent to a record $210,000.  The Dallas-Fort Worth area had even bigger home market gains in 2016.  Home sales in D-FW totaled almost 98,000, up about 5 percent from 2015. More houses were sold in the area than in any of Texas' other largest metro areas.  Houston was second with 80,604 home sales — 2.4 percent more than in 2015. Sales in Austin rose 4 percent, and they were 9.2 percent higher in the San Antonio area.  

North Texas also has the tightest home market, with just a 1.8-month supply of houses listed for sale with real estate agents. That's well below the statewide inventory of 3.3 months at the end of 2016.


Dallas Morning News, February 22, 2017