Blog article by Karen Metz, UC Master Gardener-Solano
My parents were both born in Texas. I grew up in many different places because my father was in the military. As both sets of grandparents lived in Texas, there were many visits back. Once, my dad was even stationed in Texas at Corpus Christi.
Whenever we visited Texas in the spring, we loved seeing the fields of bluebonnets, Lupinus spp. Texas has many beautiful wildflowers, but the iconic state flower was our favorite. For many people, and especially Texans, the bluebonnet is a tangible symbol of the state.
When my parents ended up in California, we were thrilled to find bluebonnets. Here, we found that they were more often called lupine. Calscape.org, the website of the California Native Plant Society, has 138 entries for native lupine species. In addition to the annual varieties that our family was familiar with, there are also perennials. One of these is the Coastal Bush Lupine, Lupinus arboreus, that can get 5-7 feet high and has beautiful yellow blossoms.
But not unexpectedly, we are still partial to the annuals with the classic familiar blue color. Each spring, our family goes on high alert, waiting to see who will spot the first bluebonnet. Depending on the temperature and rainfall, and how much we are out and about with the weather, the timing varies from year to year. This year I spotted the cheerful blue spires on March 5th and quickly let my family know. They were growing alongside Highway 80 between Fairfield and Vacaville. Later that same day, I saw them in the vacant lot on the corner of Manuel Campos and North Texas Streets.
Another favorite place to look for bluebonnets is up Twin Sisters Road. They seem to come into full bloom a little later there than on the flatlands. Some years are more prolific than others. The pictures here were from 2021, which was a particularly lush year. Happy Hunting!