!$ 4'/ * I D E N T I F I C A T I O N G U I D E
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) The purple coneflower has hot pink petals that droop downwards with a bright orange-brown center. Fun fact: Echinacea, the family to which the purple coneflower belongs, is used in holistic medicine for treating the common cold. Cough
Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) Everyone knows this one! Bluebonnets are easy to identify because, well, they’re blue. They’re also the dominant wildflower that you’ll see in the spring. The city of Burnet has an entire festival dedicated to
drops containing echinacea can work wonders for a sore throat. Giant Spiderwort
bluebonnets each April! Fun fact: The Bluebonnet was named the state flower of Texas in 1901, and contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal to pick them. Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa)
(Tradescantia gigantea) These proliferous purple
wildflowers are all over the Hill Country. The giant spiderwort grows in bunches, each flower
Indian paintbrushes are a bright red-orange and stand tall among the rest of the area’s
boasting three deep purple petals. Fun fact: While quite uncommon, the giant spiderwort also blooms with white petals—a rare find if you do come across one! Goldeneye Phlox (Phlox roemeriana)
wildflowers. They also come in cream, yellow, and purple, but you’ll mostly see the red-orange variety in the Hill Country.
The goldeneye phlox has five petals bright pink in color. It is a common wildflower with a long blooming period. The
Fun fact: According to Native American legend, a young boy was painting the sunset but lacked red paint. He asked the Great Spirit for help, and the next day, he was granted red paintbrushes. After the boy finished his painting, he scattered the red paintbrushes across the land, and from then on, Indian paintbrush flowers began to bloom. The illustrated children’s book “The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush” by Tomie dePaola tells the tale. Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella)
wildflowers grow upright with an explosive bunch of petals and also come in shades of red, blue, and purple. Fun fact: The goldeneye phlox is not named after the James Bond movie but the conspicuous ring of bright yellow at the center of the flower.
Large Buttercup (Ranunculus macranthus)
Very different from the Indian paintbrush, the Indian blanket has long, thin red petals with tips a halo of yellow. When they cover an entire field, it looks like a
These cute, yellow flowers, which grow low to the ground, are quite fragrant and pleasant.
Fun fact: If you hold a buttercup to your chin and the bud reflects a yellow hue onto it, it is proof you have a soft spot for butter. At least, that’s how it goes in the schoolyard buttercup game.
brightly woven blanket has been laid over the grass—hence, the name. Fun fact: Indian Blankets are also called firewheels. They are the state flower of Oklahoma.
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