Late Blooms — Wild Austin

This post was primarily written and photographed in October but I didn’t get around to posting it until this weekend. Like many things, Late.

I have become obsessed with the words Late Bloomers as if anything that blooms could ever be late. The flowers that bloom in late summer and early fall are some of the most interesting. They lack the intensity and impatience of spring. Fall blooms take their time. In addition to blooming at their own speed they stick around for a long time. Spring blooms are often battered by storms, quickly replaced when they break. Fall blooms have cooler weather, the only threat on the horizon would be an early freeze.

In northern climates the spring blooms can usher in a sigh of relief. The coldest months have past and we are now on the road to warmer weather. Further south we look to the fall blooms to let us know that the burden of summer has lifted. The rains bring rain lilies, a second round of Turks Caps, Fall Aster and Frostweed.

If you have ever been to a candle store its likely you have smelled sage. However, if you have ever been to the desert in the fall, its likely you have smelled sagebrush blossoms blooming. This fall flower is one of the most rugged plants in America. It grows in the harshest of climates we have to offer. Yet every fall as the weather turns cool and the small rains come in from the east, the New Mexican desert blooms yellow. This plant is a late bloomer. It waits until the shadows get long and the nights get cold. The flowers protected from the heat by the seasons change, the fragrance filling the streets and neighborhoods.

The sagebrush plant is an icon of the west. Native Americans have used it for medicinal purposes as long as time can remember. If you had to describe the smell, it would be complex. Fresh out of the ground and in your hand it is a powerful piney fragrance. As it dries the smell changes and becomes sweeter more subtle. Its a memorable scent.

Like all fall flowers the sagebrush moves slowly. It grows incrementally in parts of an inch each year. The lack of water and oppressive heat dictate the speed. Yet, patience is a trait the sagebrush knows well. The lifespan of the plant can be up to 100 years or more. Waiting has become an art form. Leave the spring blossoms to the dogwoods and the dandelions, the fall belongs to the late bloomers.