I never expected, when I arrived at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, that there would be nothing, and I mean nothing flowering. If I had gone about a month later, I would have had a completely different experience with wildflowers bursting into bloom, but I had never thought about the fact that even Texas has a “winter” season. Was I disappointed, yes, but it was still an adventure to be there. With little time to waste, as I had a plane to catch later that afternoon, I needed to adjust and rethink the situation. After a quick walk around I knew my challenge was in finding joy in the “ordinary.”

Find beauty in the ordinary, and you’ll find joy in unexpected places.
~ Anonymous

So, I challenged myself to search for textures, since my view was void of color and flowers. Come take a tour with me of the various nuances of nature during “winter” in Texas at the Lady Bird Johnson’s Wildflower Center.

The long grass with its black seed was a lovely view. You could see how the wind sculpted it perfectly, almost like ocean waves about to crest.

I saw various dried flower pods and some sort of nest, somehow attached to the upright, thin sticks.

All sorts of shapes and sizes of stones along the pathway made a crunching, grinding noise as I passed over them, which added to the very unique visual experience.

Focusing in close on a single strand of grass…

…and changing my focus to see the many thin, but sturdy strands.

More seedpods of the Swamp Rose-mallow and the lovely texture and shape of a cactus.

Even some leaves hung on through the winter creating a sculpture of sorts.

I did find a little color along the way, and it’s amazing how vibrant it looked against the neutral tones. I chased the honey bee as it worked to find pollen and some early springtime buds were there to assist.

The Ladybug also seemed glad to come upon the chartreuse buds.

A tiny yellow butterfly caught my attention among the grass. It was, no doubt, waiting patiently for the many wildflowers to bloom.

The bright red berries were perfect for picking (that is, for the birds).

And my favorite pops of color were the Coral Berries (Symporicarpos orbiculatus). Far and few between, but lovely to stumble upon.

With every challenge or experience there is a blessing in disguise, and this one taught me that no matter what the circumstances are, there is always beauty to been seen in the simplicity of nature (though admittedly, nature is not so simple). Sometimes the challenge is finding joy in the “ordinary”.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is an amazing and beautiful place to visit with an art gallery, museum, children’s center, gift shop, a beautiful waterfall and pond, areas for children to play in and many other spaces to explore next time. I would highly suggest planning your trip around the blooming season of the wildflowers, but if not, there is still lots to enjoy!

Share with me below: Have you ever visited a garden when it wasn’t in bloom?

FEATURED FLOWER
The seedpod of the bright Swamp Rose-mallow, Hibiscus grandifloras (that is, when in bloom). Photographed @ Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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