Bluebonnets usually sprout from seed some time in autumn and then grow throughout the winter. This gives them plenty of energy to burst into bloom in spring. After blooming, it makes seeds and dies. The plant lives less than a year, but is sometimes considered to be a biennial because it crosses the calendar year boundary.

This particular plant is unusual in that it is still flourishing in November. Maybe flourishing is not the right word. It already bloomed this spring, but instead of dying, the plant continued growing as a small plant throughout the summer. Earlier this fall, I noticed an inflorescence and wrote about it to friends and relatives. I figured I'd take pictures when the flowers were more fully formed.

Well, they never did. Instead, the plant is turning into a tall vegetative plant with no flowers. What appears at first to be flower buds is actually leaf buds.