Richard Moore Outdoor Report: Hardy Yuccas

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — They aren’t blooming yet, but they will be soon.

In deep South Texas hardy yuccas are among the first native plants to herald in spring with their exuberant creamy white blooms.

Some years, they begin flowering early to mid-January, but this year they have yet to appear.

Perhaps, the pitas as they are known in Spanish, realize that frigid temperatures are on the horizon and are holding off on an early bloom, as they are well adapted to this land of extremes.

An ice storm on February 2, 2014, wrapped Rio Grande Valley native brush in a frosty embrace, draping mesquite leaves in icicles, coating prickly pear cactus, and adorning thorny yuccas with icy droplets.

Despite the early February ice storm, by late February abundant yucca blooms burst forth throughout the South Texas landscape.

On December 8, 2017, a rare snowfall blanketed southernmost Texas from the shores of the Laguna Madre to western ranchlands.

It was quite unusual to see native javelina and white-tailed deer trotting through the snow. This flock of wild Rio Grande turkeys had certainly never experienced snowfall and seemed perplexed as they pecked away at the white stuff.

Mesquite trees, prickly pear, and yuccas were liberally dusted with snow, but by late January the stalwart yuccas were already blooming.

So, despite chilly weather in the forecast our resilient native brush will survive, and it won’t be long before pitas will flower.

You can almost see the hardy pitas heralding in spring with their welcoming blooms and smell the sweet aroma of flowering huisache and fragrant ebony blooms.

Soon, whitetail hawks will perch on flowering pitas, Harris’s hawks will survey their domain from atop petals and white-tailed kites will take a break from hovering flight to alight on flowery perches.

Chachalacas will savor the pita petals, and caracaras will settle regally while occasionally peeling the irresistible springtime flowers of the hardy yuccas.