Native Buckeyes

Recently I took a walk down the Cypress Creek Nature Preserve trail. This trail is located behind the Martha Knies Park in downtown Wimberley on Old Kyle Road near the radio station and Lumberyard parking lot. They call it the Lumberyard parking lot because a Lumberyard was located there back in the day.

The Redbud tree and Mountain Laurel were in bloom in the park. The trail itself definitely showed signs of drought as the False Gromwell and Groundsel I usually see there in the spring were sparse. However, as I kept going down the trail which veered off toward the limestone cliff I found Buckeye in bloom.

There are two main types of native Buckeyes found on this trail: Red Buckeye ( Aesculus pavia) and Texas Buckeye (Aesculus glabra). The latter, according to Marshall Enquist author of Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country, has cream colored flowers.

Further along the trail you will come to a fork. If you take the right hand fork you will find an amazing forest of understory Buckeyes. All of the Buckeyes have distinctive palmate leaves. They are deciduous perennials whose leaves are some of the first to unfurl in the spring. If you continue on this trail you can go up a steep incline to exit on Old Kyle Road. I made a circular walk by going toward town back to the Lumberyard parking lot. Go early in the day as this parking lot fills up rapidly.

About 10 years ago I planted a Red Buckeye in a shady spot under some oaks in my backyard. It took about 5 years before I saw my first flowers on this plant. Although it leafs out early, it also drops its leaves in late summer and repeats the cycle each year.

The flowers will probably be gone by the end of April, so go down the Cypress Creek trail soon if you want to see these flowers.

Written by Jackie Mattice, Hays County Master Naturalist