Bluebonnet season approaches as Brazos Valley photographers book up
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Local photographers are already filling their books with bluebonnet photoshoots, but now they’re left to wait for the blooms.
Some started booking slots as early as January in preparation for the narrow window of time.
In past years, photographer Jen Gerlich had just a couple of weeks to photograph around 20 families in the bluebonnets. Her company, JG Creatives, has been capturing memories for half a decade.
“It gets a little crazy right around the time the bluebonnets start blooming and yeah, it does get pretty busy because it’s kind of like a rite of passage,” she said.
Her books fill up months in advance with people signing up for a spot on a waitlist. Once the flowers bloom, she schedules all of the photo shoots within a two-to-three-week window. In the meantime, she’s watching the current crop closely.
“Towards the end of February, I’ll start kind of like poking at plants, figuring it out,” she said.
However, timing can still be a challenge, especially after a boiling hot summer followed by a rainy few weeks.
Dr. Mike Arnold, Director of Gardens at Texas A&M University, said the timing depends on the fall rains. After a lot of rain in a short time, he predicts the peak of bluebonnet season could be closer than we think.
“About three to four weeks from now is when we will be into our peak bloom on the bluebonnets. But we’re blessed with a tremendous variety and array of wildflowers,” he said.
Although plants in lower elevation areas might struggle due to the amount of rainfall, blooms on hills and in sandy soils could spell success for the overall season.
“We managed to get a few rains late in the season, so we did get some germination occurring, this crop’s looked pretty good through the winter,” he added.
Dr. Arnold recommends scheduling your Bluebonnet photos toward the end of March.
