To allow FM 1431 to cross the Colorado River just south of Kingsland in the Texas Hill Country, engineers had to cut the roadbed through the flank of a steep hill. The result was an even steeper cliff, and it was at the interface between that cliff and the untouched hillside above it that these yuccas were flowering on April 7th. Three species are possible: I’m leaning toward Yucca torreyi, but Yucca pallida and Yucca constricta also occur in the area.

If you look carefully you can see the bluebonnets, Lupinus texensis, that were mixed in, and it’s hard to miss the pads of prickly pear cactus that are such a common sight in Texas.

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman