It seems Texans' favorite bloomer - the bluebonnet - isn't blooming so hot in East Texas fields this spring.

Texans are a mighty proud bunch, especially when it comes to the state flower, the bluebonnet.

The finicky floret enjoys almost a cult-like following, with its own Facebook pages and numerous online resources.

Heck, probably every mantle and hallway in the Lone Star State has at least one photo of a pudgy baby playing in bluebonnets.

Sadly, however, it may be a while before there’s an update to that gallery wall.

It seems our favorite bloomer isn’t blooming so hot in many areas this year – a shame, for sure, but perhaps not permanent.

“There are bluebonnets down around the Nacogdoches area,” said Chad Gulley, Smith County extension agent. “We do have bluebonnets here in different locations.”

He’s referring to collections sighted in lawns and smaller common areas.

But along many highways, roadways and grassy pastures – Indian Paintbrushes, crimson clover and those yellow thingys, known as “doggone weeds” – appear to be stars of this year’s spring flower show.

No one knows exactly what happened to the blue charmers, but Gulley has his suspicions.

“The weather patterns may have something to do with it,” he said.

Don’t cry, East Texans.

We don’t really need the moisture.

The Tyler area received a whopping 74.02 inches of rain last year, give or take, plus another 13.95 inches since Jan. 1, according to the tylertexasweather.com.

No wonder our green thumbs are pruney.

If the ag official’s weather theory holds any water, bluebonnets may be an unfortunate consequence to all those gully washers.

An online reader survey conducted last week by this newspaper asked for suggestions on the best locations for “babies in bluebonnets” photo ops.

Most responders recommended Ennis as the go-to spot for bloom enthusiasts, but eager travelers beware – this isn’t an ordinary year.

If you go, be sure to pack realistic expectations and be prepared to see a lot of red.

“This is a big paintbrush year,” Gina Rokas, tourism director for the Ennis Tourism and Convention Bureau, said last week. “It’s just one of those years. It’s just Mother Nature doing her thing.”

Wildflower enthusiasts who do make the trek to Ennis can still expect to see plenty of pretty flowers with a few bluebonnets scattered throughout.

The scenery won’t disappoint, unless you fall for all those gorgeous photos on the Internet.

Those shots are real, but they were made several years ago.

“It doesn’t exist this year,” she added.

The folks at Texas Bluebonnet Sightings, a local/travel website, confirmed her assessment on its Facebook page, saying there’s little comparison between earlier photos of the blanket of bluebonnets off Ennis’ Mach Road to today.

“While the photo is beautiful, it does not represent the 2016 Ennis Bluebonnet season,” according to an April 12 post. “In fact, Mach Road has not bloomed like this since 2012, and it is currently not blooming like this. While sharing photos like this is great, it is very irresponsible of Facebook pages to not indicate the season the photo was taken or to give the impression the photo represents the current bloom status.”

So there you have it.

For people determined to see a bluebonnet bonanza this year, your good bet around East Texas might be the area near Nacogdoches.

But if wildflower season comes and goes without so much as a selfie for the photo wall, relax and release the guilt.

Just pick up a few Texas souvenir postcards and a packet or two of seeds and know that sunnier days and our bluebonnets will come again.

Twitter: @TMT _ Jacque