Adopt a county road

By Soc Gonzalez

Citizens for Scenic Texas Highways

Residents and visitors once again are delighted by the season’s colorful splendor of bluebonnets bordering state and country roads throughout Llano County and leading into Burnet County.

The addition of brilliant Indian Paint Brush and Indian Blanket wildflower outcrops along Hill Country roadways will extend the annual wildflower attraction for weeks to come.

“It’s important to keep our roads good, as well as beautiful,” said Llano County Commissioner Peter Jones. “Those are just a few of the county’s objectives when it comes to roads,” he said.

One reason for its importance is the economic impact of the blooms.

Annually, this visitor attraction draws visitors from beyond state lines, impacting the economy in many ways.

Still, many area citizens are not aware that this seasonal gift of wildflower beauty is protected by a dedicated hard-working team at the Llano County Road and Bridge Department.

It takes the support of Llano County Commissioners, Richard Wooten, road and bridge commissioner, and 19 skilled equipment operators to adjust their mowing schedules of the county road easements to allow wildflowers to sprout in spring to full bloom to dazzle travelers with colorful passage and go to seed in early summer. Roadside grooming resumes once all wildflower species have gone to seed. The full attention of the department shifts to essential road repair, upkeep and improvement projects until mowing is resumed.

The maintenance agenda ensures continued propagation of wildflowers native to the Texas Hill Country.

The Llano County Adopt-A-County Road initiative, introduced in 2014, helps improve the appearance of Llano County roadways with volunteer team’s year-round removal of litter and debris from easements. This program, modeled after the successful “Adopt-A-Highway” program run by the Texas Department of Highways, also alerts Road Commissioner Wooten of debris that can be hazardous to mowing equipment.

Over the years, the effort by the Road and Bridge Department has allowed the gradual blanketing of easements with wildflowers on 500 miles of county roadways. Weather conditions, including flood damage to roads and bridges throughout the year, are a major factor in the department's ability to keep pace with all the road maintenance needs of Llano County once mowing is resumed.

To learn more and volunteer, contact Llano County Commissioner Jones at 830-598-2296.