The wildflowers along these shoulders are managed, not accidental. The state highway department has sown seed along its rights of way since the 1930s and now buys tens of thousands of pounds a year, and — the part that actually matters — it holds off mowing until the flowers have set seed. Lady Bird Johnson pushed that practice into policy nationally in the 1960s. The bluebonnet is a lupine, a legume that fixes its own nitrogen, which is why it thrives on the thin, poor roadside soil where most plants will not.
Getting there
29.9500, -96.9500
Locations are approximate and may be inaccurate, on private land, or otherwise inaccessible. Check before you travel.
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
