a banner year for bluebonnets

Due to a very wet fall and winter, the bluebonnet (state flower of Texas) and wildflower display in the Lone Star State this spring is forecasted to be extra-amazing -- the Indian paintbrush and bluebonnets are already popping up.

Experts say to expect a knock-out spring for flowers ... an exceptional season is expected state-wide.

By the end of March, Texas should be awash in the reds, yellows, whites and blues of wildflowers, with the season peaking in mid-April, said Damon Waitt, senior botanist at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

With rains throughout the fall and winter bringing an end to drought conditions that have persisted in the state since late 2007, Waitt expects exceptional early and late spring wildflowers in many parts of the state.

"That really favors our Texas wildflowers, especially our early spring bloomers," said Waitt, who added that flowers making an early appearance include Indian paintbrush, Drummond phlox and Texas' state flower: the bluebonnet.