"I just received a Hill Country Newsletter on Texas wild flowers from the new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa - it isn't opening until February but I guess they are getting people interested in the great things surrounding the resort. I was interested to read about what's in bloom. I've seen the bluebonnets covering the highways but I didn't know that there was a wild flower festival up near Fredericksburg. Also, it's peak lavender season and Becker Vineyards and Blanco, TX both have great festivals coming up in May and June. Thanks JW for bringing those to my attention - the resort says it will incorporate all of these Texas blooms into its landscaping and through out the resort's decor and spa treatments."

Big red sage was thought to be extinct beginning around 1946, until it was rediscovered by botanist Marshall Enquist in 1980 while shooting pictures for his Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country. At first, Enquist didn't realize he had taken a photo of an 'extinct' plant. He identified it as Salvia pentstemonoides from a guide book which didn't state that the plant was considered extinct. Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country was finally published in 1987, without S. pentstemonoides. That year, Enquist began thinking about adding some more wildflowers—including S. pentstemonoides—to a second edition. While inquiring about the plant, he was surprised to learn that it had been considered extinct for many years.In 1988, Enquist received the Donovan Stewart Correll Memorial Award from the Native Plant Society of Texas for his rediscovery of Salvia pentstemonoides.