Texas Lupine

The floral trademark of Texas (a guest post)

I didn’t quite understand the obsession with this blue flower when I moved to Texas almost six years ago but I’m slowly becoming ‘that person’ who just keeps taking pictures of them. This year they bloomed so beautifully and I just couldn’t help myself. And now having a model of my own, poor Randy had at least three photo sessions. So I consider myself a true Texan now that I am eagerly awaiting tiny blue flowers to pop up out of the ground every spring. 

What you need to know about the Texas lupine.

Part of the Lupinus species the Texensis, which have vibrant blue blooms, have a distinctive white tip to the cluster of pea-like petals. There is a common myth that the flower was brought over to Texas from Spain long ago, however the Texas Lupine is naturally found only in Texas and nowhere else in the world. Adopted as the state flower of Texas, this iconic annual flower is almost as recognizable to outsiders as cowboy boots and longhorns. On March 7, 1901 Texas legislature passed into law that the state flower would be the Lupinus Subcarnosus, one of 5 species part of the Lupinus family. They later had to amend their law to add the four other species, like the Texensis, so there are actually 5 state flowers of Texas. 

The Texas Lupine blooms in the spring every year and prefers well drained soil and full sun, which is often why you’ll see them on hillsides or sloped ground. Ideally one should plant seeds in September and October to allow the cold weather to develop the flowers root structure. Then the heat of summer helps them to germinate every year. If you’re lucky enough you can stumble upon a lone white albino bluebonnet and even more rare, the pink bluebonnet (if only!!) Bluebonnet seeds need to be lightly covered or raked into the soil in order for beautiful blooms in spring. Because they are so hard to grow from seeds most recommend a raised bed in full sun for your own little bluebonnet garden, or transplanting a well established bluebonnet plant. 

Which brings me to the most common myth of the Texas Lupine. I’m not sure who the first person was, but somewhere in these past six years I was told that picking the protected bluebonnet flower was frowned upon, and not only that, it was also illegal, possible jail time. I was so scared to even accidentally step on one. So I googled it the other day, out of curiosity, and it is NOT illegal to pick a bluebonnet. The myth arose from people pulling over on state highways onto private property and picking a few for the road. It is illegal to tamper with anything on private property, and so the fallacy was born. But still, Texans love their state flower and want it to keep blooming every year, so they are quite protective of them. 

I happen to live in Ennis, Texas which is the bluebonnet trail city of Texas. They are amazing out here and I’ve been obsessing over them for at least a month now. 

Still hoping one year I’ll see a pink one!

(This post was written by one of my daughters, KP, who lives nearby. She supplied all the photos, except the last one which I took to show how many people stop to take photos.)