Adventures with the Editor: Beautiful, breathtaking Bluebonnet blooms

ROCKWALL, TX – April 22, 2022 — Seventy years ago, the city of Ennis kicked off its inaugural Bluebonnet Trails and Festival bringing
entertainment, shopping, and food vendors to its downtown area, while attracting folks from all over to drive through its rolling countryside filled with gorgeous Bluebonnets. Since we got married nearly five years ago, Julie and I always look forward to taking the hour-long drive out to Ennis this time of year to see the fields blooming with Bluebonnets and celebrate all the festivities happening downtown. This year was certainly no different, and in fact the Bluebonnets seemed to absolutely overwhelm the trails as we drove through, often packed so tight it felt like looking at a sea of Bluebonnet blue.

Each year throughout the month of April, Ennis invites the public out to its 40-mile-long Bluebonnet Trail winding from I-45 near Palmer all the way down to south of its downtown area. In 1997, the State Legislature designated the trail as the Official Texas Bluebonnet Trail and named Ennis as the Official Bluebonnet City of Texas. Each week in April, the Ennis Garden Club (which sponsors the trails) checks the bloom status of the Bluebonnets and reports this on the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails and Festival website at bluebonnettrail.org, so that folks can know when the Bluebonnets are at their peak. Depending on the week, some parts of the trail are absolutely teeming with Bluebonnets.

One of our favorite spots is the north trail that goes along Sugar Ridge Road near the Sugar Ridge Winery. The Bluebonnet blooms were incredibly breathtaking this year! We went on the second weekend of April, which is a week earlier than the Bluebonnets typically peak – just tons of Bluebonnets in full bloom everywhere you looked, accented with Indian Paintbrush. One of the reasons we like to take Sugar Ridge Road is that you can also pet and feed the horses on the property! Another great spot for photos or just for marveling at the view is along the west trail by Lake Bardwell. The Bluebonnets reflecting on the lake’s still surface is most definitely a sight to see.

After roaming the beautiful Bluebonnet countryside (and snapping lots of pictures, of course!) we headed downtown to the Festival for some food, fun and live music on the stage. We perused through all the neat vendors selling lots of unique items such as some beautiful handmade t-shirts with embroidered Bluebonnets and even Bluebonnet seeds!

For more information on the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails and Festival visit bluebonnettrail.org.

By Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News. Photos by Julie Wells.