Our longest, prettiest season

Here in South Texas, our spring starts in late February. Then the evergreen mountain laurels flaunt their royal purple blossoms and the bare branches of crabapple, peach, and plum trees reveal pink buds ready to break into flower.

Around Texas Independence Day — that's March 2, of course — the woods and pastures begin to fill with phlox in a medley of red, pink, and purple. Indian paintbrushes daub their reds and golds across greening fields.

Soon enough the bluebonnets take over, spreading their brilliant hues across prairies and hillsides. Gaillardias in flame and bronze follow with various sizes of yellow sunflowers that look like daisies, and verbenas in lavender blue.

Evergreen anaqua trees will greet the spring with showy pink blossoms. These trees ornament many yards in Seguin, though the semi-tropical species rarely grows north of here.

The countryside color reaches a crescendo about mid-April. You'd better get here to see the roadside wildflowers before they start to go to seed. Then someone is likely to declare them "weeds" and send out mowers to cut them down.

Everyone into the water!

The last of our spring flowers fade in June's heat, about the time our gardens are yielding tomatoes — juicy, tart, and red — along with squash, okra, watermelon, and other healthy foods. This garden season seems to peak around the 4th of July, when the local Freedom Fiesta is one big picnic, a kind of harvest celebration in the summertime.

After that, with the temperature reaching into the 90s, the crepe myrtles along our streets display their delicate blossoms in glorious numbers.

Through the summer the black-eyed Susans, like the flourishing prickly pear cactus, continue to thrive along the country roads, despite the heat.

Summer is a good time to join us on our freshwater lakes or beside our pools — water-skiing, boating, swimming, or just splashing around.

Like a second spring

In mid-September we usually get our first Norther. A cool front will blow down from Canada, reminding us that summer is going to end. The cooler air usually sets off refreshing showers. Indeed, autumn is our second-rainiest season.

We average more than 31 inches of rain, with some months seeing less than 2 inches. September and October usually total 7.5 inches, while April and May are usually the wettest, combining for 7.7 inches.

So our fall becomes a second spring, bringing more flowers to our yards and fields and coaxing another crop from our gardens. The autumn skies are a brilliant blue under the warm sun.

On the second weekend in October, put on your boots and blue jeans. Our Guadalupe County Fair & Rodeo whoops up our cowboy heritage and shows off the season's rich harvest of flowers, fruit, vegetables, and pecans, of course. The delicious nut is native to these parts.

Later it can get quite chilly when a Norther hits, but most days are quite pleasant right up through the holidays.

Our growing season lasts about nine months, or 267 days, stretching from the first week in March (typically the last frost) to the last week in November (the average first frost).

Colorful foliage can appear, depending largely on the year's rainfall pattern. The cypress along the river go to rust. The red oaks, native to Texas if not to this area, will
produce a glorious crimson that could make a maple turn back to green with envy. Sycamore leaves of soft gold glow in the solstice sunlight.

The leaves of the town's crepe myrtles and the hedges of nandina turn fiery shades, flushed as if furious at the dying of the light.

Yes, we see a bit of winter

A Heritage Tour of Homes comes on the first weekend December, along with an early evening Christmas parade, and caroling on the square in the historic downtown. The town likes to keep holiday decorations up until after New Year's.

Next we have a few weeks when most local folks think it's a bit too chilly for much outdoor activity. Temperatures often drop below freezing before dawn. Once in a few years we actually find snow on the ground. Our friends the winter Texans are likely to have our golf courses to themselves, enjoying the afternoon warmth.

With our elms and pecan trees bare of leaves, their branches trace delicate and skeletal patterns against the azure sky. The roadside grasses take on the color of hay.

Yet the plants are not dead, only resting. So hold your horses — our spring will arrive once more before Texas Independence Day. The wildflowers will bloom again for months to come.

The soaking fall and winter rains put an end to the summer's drought. This spring our wildflowers are making up for last year's lost time. Come see us soon.

A Few Favorite Routes

Try driving out along historic Capote Road (FM 466) about 12 miles to the east, passing the venerable Capote Baptist Church (see the Historical Marker) and the storied Capote Hills. Then go north on Highway 80 a couple of miles, crossing the Guadalupe River again. Make a left to return on Highway 90-A, passing the Darst Creek Field. You can see the working pumps and smell the oil.

Or head southwest on the Southerland Springs Road (FM 467) to La Vernia. Not far from the main road you can find the Sweet Home School (National Register of Historic Places) and a historic church built by German immigrants. From La Vernia, loop back north on FM 775 through New Berlin to cross I-10.Then start exploring along Stagecoach Road, going left toward San Antonio, or right back toward Seguin.

These are just a few routes. Many other roads and backroads in this scenic county are worth your trip.

Check with the Chamber of Commerce for current info about the best routes for viewing, and pick up a map to help you get around.

WEW