‘Tis the season for bluebonnet pictures in Texas. If you aren’t from Texas and have no clue about the rhyme or reason of bluebonnet picture season I’ll fill you in on the big deal.

Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas and, as a kid, it’s drilled into you that they are illegal to pick in Texas – which they aren’t actually. All though, it is bad Texas ju-ju to destroy them.

It is a wildflower that grows throughout Texas and quite frankly we want to keep it that way. Destroying or picking the flowers before they seed may inhibit this.

Then every year your mom hunts for a field or randomly spots at a patch of bluebonnets on the side of the road and makes a photo op stop!

Typically, you can find bluebonnets easily. Mostly on the sides of highways and country roads.

Great places in the DFW metroplex to take bluebonnet pictures:

• Mcinnish Park and Sports Complex in Carrolton
• Mary Heads Carter Park in Plano
• The Grapevine Texas State Highway 121 and the Texan Trail exit
• Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge
• The Botanical Research Institute of Texas
• Cedar Hill State Park
• And of course – Ennis Texas, the bluebonnet capital of Texas, which has an entire Bluebonnet festival each year.

Bluebonnets are typically in bloom from late March to early May. The best time to take photos of bluebonnets is when the flowers are in full bloom. You can find bluebonnets in many places throughout the DFW area, but the best places to take photos are in open fields or areas with a lot of bluebonnets.

Here are some tips for taking bluebonnet pictures:

• Choose a sunny day. Bluebonnets look best in bright sunlight.
• Find a field or area with a lot of bluebonnets. The more bluebonnets you have in your photo, the more beautiful it will be.
• Get down low. The best way to get a good photo of bluebonnets is to get down low and shoot them from a level angle.
• Find a hill. If you can find a hill to stand in front of, this will make for a beautiful bonnet-filled background and prevent you from trampling the bluebonnets for the next admirers.
• Shoot in the morning or late afternoon. The light is softer in the morning and late afternoon, which can make your photos look more beautiful.
• Be patient. Bluebonnets are popular subjects for photos, so it may take some time to get a good shot and if you arrived at a popular spot there may be other families taking photos as well.
• Have fun! You will look back on these photos even if you take them every year, so enjoy taking them!

The great Texas bluebonnets picture tradition is rampant throughout the state. It’s fun to compare each year’s photos and to hunt out the best field of bluebonnets. Because the bluebonnet season is short, taking photos is a great way to preserve their beauty.

Maybe our Texas mommas are on to something, after all. So get out there, use our tips and find your field of wildflowers.