Take a drive to spend time in the fresh air admiring Texas’ official state flower.  Bluebonnets have been springing up, and this week should be the peak of the season. We’ve put together a bouquet of places with blossoms, including the return of the Ennis Bluebonnet Trails and festival.

Though you’ll be outside with the blue blooms, nevertheless stay at least 6 feet away from others. Here are some other tips: Don’t trespass. Be mindful of where you park, and be careful walking along roads. Also it wouldn’t hurt to make some noise to scare off snakes. And finally: Don’t pick the bluebonnets. Though it’s not illegal, it’s just not nice. Save some springtime spirit for others to enjoy.

Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival

Ennis, about 35 minutes south of downtown Dallas, is the Official Bluebonnet City of Texas, with 40 miles of trails open to the public through April 30. Ennis Veterans Memorial Park, Bluebonnet Park and Meadow View Nature Area are great spots to stop, stay a while and take some selfies. You can visit the parks and trails anytime in April to see blooms, but if you can, plan a trip during this weekend’s Bluebonnet Trails Festival in downtown Ennis near Pierce Park. In addition to pretty photo ops, the festival features wildflower walks, arts and crafts, children’s activities, food vendors, a beer and wine garden, and live music. The headlining bands are Le Freak (April 16), Infinite Journey (April 17) and Spazmatics (April 18).

The festival runs April 16-17 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., April 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at North Dallas Street and West Baylor Street, Ennis. $5, free for children 12 and younger. Tickets must be purchased at the gate. bluebonnettrail.org.

Fujitsu Network Communications

You’ll find a large, sun-drenched field carpeted with bluebonnets outside this office complex north of West Campbell Road at Bush Turnpike. This shockingly large collection of blooms is surrounded by walkways from the parking lot and a tree-lined road. It’s a beautiful scene tucked in among office buildings. There are smaller bluebonnet patches nearby at Telecom Parkway and Research Drive.

Fujitsu Network Communications is at 2971 Telecom Parkway, Richardson.

The Raincatcher’s Garden of Midway Hills

The Dallas County Master Gardeners maintain this waterwise garden on the campus of Midway Hills Christian Church. Find bluebonnets in the north field next to Midway Road. Other wildflowers such as pink primrose, blanket flowers and Engelmann daisies are starting to bloom, too.

The Raincatcher’s Garden of Midway Hills is at 11001 Midway Road, Dallas. dallasgardenbuzz.com.

Texas Native Park

The grounds of the George W. Bush Presidential Center include the 15-acre Texas Native Park, which showcases Lone Star State wildflowers and other native plants. The trails are open for bluebonnet browsing. Admission to the park is free, but there is a charge for parking. The center, which has been closed because of the pandemic, reopens to the public on April 20; admission is $10.

The George W. Bush Presidential  Center is at 2943 SMU Blvd., Dallas. bushcenter.org.

Bluebonnet Trail in Plano

Patches of blooms are scattered along this trail that runs east to west across Plano, just north of West Spring Creek Parkway. The most bountiful blossoms can be found on the east side of Independence Parkway, the east side of Coit Road across from Carpenter Park Recreation Center and the west side of Alma Drive across from High Point Park. Smaller spots are on the west side of Rainier Road across from Wagon Wheel Park and on the east side of Custer Road.

Find trail maps at plano.gov/1405/bluebonnet-trail-greenbelt.

Fort Worth Botanic Garden

There are some bluebonnets outside the garden near the Botanical Research Institute of Texas building. Pay regular admission fees to enter the garden, where you’ll find more on the south end of the Victor and Cleyone Tinsley Garden at Rock Springs. FWBG’s oldest garden, Rock Springs features plants native to Texas, plus waterfalls, ponds and stone walkways.

The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is at 3220 Botanic Garden Blvd., Fort Worth. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Garden admission is $12, $10 for seniors 65 and up, $6 for ages 6-15, free for ages 5 and under. Free parking. fwbg.org.

West Bethany Drive in Allen

Between Alma Drive and South Watters Road in Allen, West Bethany Drive has a wide median verdant with hills, trees, thick grass and — currently — many, many pockets of bluebonnets. The annual flowering enhances an already pretty area. During this time of year, it’s typical to see cars parked in the turnaround lanes while folks snap their selfies.

Clark Gardens

Bluebonnets are among the flowering plants at this 50-acre Weatherford park, which has waterfalls, fountains, a lake with waterfowl, Children’s Play House, an edible garden and peacocks. The pathways through the gardens are wheelchair accessible.

Clark Gardens Botanical Park is at 567 Maddux Road, Weatherford. Open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $9, $7 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for children 4-12, free for kids 3 and younger. clarkgardens.org.

Zion Cemetery

A field of flowers can be found outside this Frisco cemetery. The area around the cemetery and a housing development is known locally as an annual hot spot for bluebonnets.

Zion Cemetery is northeast of the intersection of FM423 and Panther Creek Parkway, Frisco.

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

You can find patches of bluebonnets along the hike and bike trails of this 200-acre park in Plano on Parker Road west of Midway Road in Plano. In addition to wildflowers, the preserve’s flora and fauna include snakes, insects and poison ivy, so stay on paths and take precautions.

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is at 6701 W. Parker Road, Plano. Open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., except Wednesdays, when the park is closed for maintenance until 2 p.m. Free admission. plano.gov/1397/arbor-hills-nature-preserve.

Toyota Campus in Plano

Toyota’s North American headquarters on Legacy Drive between State Highway 121 and Headquarters Drive features plenty of parklike landscaping year-round. It includes several areas currently bursting with bluebonnets. With the trees and tall grasses, it’s easy to get a photograph that doesn’t look like it was shot in an office park near the highway.

The Toyota campus is at 6565 Headquarters Drive, Plano.

Information provided by Dallas News

Shannon Sutlief. Shannon is the LocalGraf Database Manager on the product team and the former events editor for Guide and GuideLive.com.

ssutlief@dallasnews.com /shannonsutlief @shannonsutlief