Cedar Park Bluebonnets Patch Guide: Best Spots For Picture Taking

CEDAR PARK, TX — Ah, spring. It's that time of year when moms and dads across the region load up the kids in the family to partake in that quintessentially Central Texas tradition: Posing in front of the Texas bluebonnets dotting the Hill Country landscape.

But did you know there's an alternative? Bluebonnets abound in Cedar Park, an already picturesque town made even prettier this year with fields full of the official state flower. Cedar Park officials listed some of the best local spots for picture taking, adding what can literally be described as "color commentary."

HEB CENTER AT CEDAR PARK

2100 Avenue of the Stars

Bluebonnet conditions: "Oodles and oodles of bluebonnets are in the field in front of the Center. This iis a great place to show your Cedar Park pride!"

SRI SHIRDI SAI BABA TEMPLE

New Hope Drive (next to Veterans Memorial Park)

Bluebonnet conditions: "This is one of the most plentiful bluebonnet fields we've seen so far this year in Cedar Park. Plus, there's easy access from the adjacent parking lot or sidewalk."

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

1801 E. Park St. (across from Reagan Elementary School)

Bluebonnet conditions: "This is another favorite! It's a very thick lush and plentiful bluebonnets patch, with lots of brush in the background for a country look."

BRUSHY CREEK LAKE PARK

2310 Brushy Creek Rd.

Bluebonnet conditions: "Patches of bluebonnets are just starting to pop up in this traditionally popular-place-to-take-bluebonnets pics. It is a great, natural-looking setting.

BRUSHY CREEK SPORTS PARK

3300 Brushy Creek Rd.

Bluebonnet conditions: "There's a thick lush patch near the park entrance. It also features a ranch-style wooden fence, giving it a country feel."

EAST/ACROSS STREET FROM HERITAGE OAK PARK

875 Quest Parkway

Bluebonnet conditions: "There is a plentiful and patch of bluebonnets blooming along the sidewalk. Plus, there is a nearby parking lot for easy access."

OUTSIDE OF THE KRIENKE RANCH

13600 to 13900 block of Ronald Reagan Boulevard

Bluebonnet conditions: "Bluebonnets line the right-of-way along Ronald Reagan Boulevard outside the barbed wire fence of Roland and Sharon Krienke's cattle ranch. They welcome you to safely park on their two driveways at their gates to snap a few photos. Please stay out of the fenced area, as they do have a bull on their property."

SAGEBROOK HEALTH CENTER DRAINAGE RETENTION FACILITY

901 Discovery Blvd.

Bluebonnet conditions: "Patches are just starting to pop up," officials wrote, adding the ideal sprouting time occurred during the March 24 weekend.

SOUTHEAST CORNER OF ANDERSON MILL AND CYPRESS CREEK ROADS

Next to Cedar Park High School and the water tower

Bluebonnet conditions: "There are several large patches of bluebonnets here."

FAUBION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

1209 Cypress Creek Rd.

Bluebonnet conditions: "A large patch just starting to pop up," city officials wrote tantalizingly.

CEDAR PARK RECREATION CENTER

1435 Main St.

Bluebonnet conditions: "There is a small patch appearing at the northwest end of the parking lot, close to the Cedar Park Town Center neighborhood pool. This would be ideal for a close-up."

CEDAR PARK POST OFFICE

500 E. Whitacre Blvd.

(Honorable mention)

Bluebonnet conditions: "Bluebonnets are scarcer than in past years, but there are still some small groups of blooms here that will make good close-up photos."

Ever helpful and accommodating, Cedar Park officials offer a tips-laden primer to best enjoy the bluebonnet fields this spring:

• They are a-fleeting: "The bluebonnets are just staring to pop up, and will get thicker over the next week or two. But keep in mind, that their blooms only last through about the middle to end of April. So get out there and snap your photos. Once the weather starts heating up towards May, the bluebonnets are gone until the next year."
• If you see a path, take it: "Staying on a beaten path through the bluebonnets will help keep you from unnecessarily flattening flowers. Plus, it helps you kee a close eye out for snakes, insects and other wildlife as you're traipsing through. (Critters love the lush cover that the bluebonnet patches provide.) Le us state the obvious: Wear shoes. And if you see a blank space or 'hole' in the patch, it's generally a good place to stand or sit for your photos."
• Don't be a creature of habit: "Just because you found a great patch of bluebonnets last year does not necessarily mean that it will pop up in the same place this year. That's because some of our traditionally best bluebonnet patches happen to also be located in drainage retention facilities, flood plains and inundation easements. The seeds can become water-logged from repeated flood exposures and not always come back as in years past. But you can bet that if they're on our list, we've checked them out ourselves."
• Choose your lighting: "If may seem counter-intuitive, but partly cloudy or overcast skies usually provide the best lighting for outdoor photographs of people. Early morning also provides soft lighting. Bright sunlight, of course, is great for taking photos of just the flowers."
• There's no need to ask permission: "The City of Cedar Park does not require photographers (professional or amateur) to take photos in city-owned parks. They are free and open to all members of the public. paces on our Top Ten list that are not city parks are located in public places or rights-of-way."
• Fake it: "If any of the bluebonnet patches on the Top Ten list appear to be in too urban of a setting for you, zoom in and get a close-up. No one but you will ever know the difference."
• Please don't pick the flowers: "Yes, it's technically illegal to 'pick' Texas bluebonnets, as they are the officials state flower. Don't gets us wrong; it's not like we're not out there giving citations but your neighbors are sure to 'call you out' if they see you picking a bouquet of bluebonnets. Besides, the blooms tend to wilt upon their stems being picked. We simply ask that you please leave the bluebonnet blooms behind for others to enjoy as much as you do."
• The best camera is the one you've got on you: "So a wise old photographer once said. While you may be tempted to assemble all of your fancy camera gear, keep in mind that today's mobile phone cameras take great high-quality photographs. So if you see an opportunity to stop and snap a bluebonnets photo in one of those places, don't wait. Take it."

>>> The author's nephew/godson, finding bliss in a bluebonnets field he picked out personally after church service on Easter Sunday 2018, photos by Tony Cantú