Affiche "Bluebonnet Field, Austin, Texas

"Bluebonnet Field, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin, Texas" by Catherine Sherman A field of vibrant bluebonnets brightens the landscape at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas, Austin. As an extension of Lady Bird Johnson's efforts at highway beautification in the United States, embodied in the Highway Beautification Act, she encouraged the planting of native plants along Texas highways after she left the White House. Bluebonnet blooms are now a common sight along these highways in the spring. Texas designated the bluebonnet as the official state flower in 1901. The shape of the petals on the blue or purple flower resembles the bonnets worn by pioneer women to shield them from the sun. Bluebonnet is a name given to any of a number of blue-flowered or purple-flowered species of the genus Lupinus. Lupinus texensis emerged as the favorite of most Texans. L. texensis and L. subcarnosus are native to Texas. Four other species grow in Texas, also: L. havardii, L. concinnus, L. perennis, and L. plattensis.