Bonnets of Blue

Does any other state, or do any other people, get ramped up about their state flower? 

Every spring, people find themselves stopping along highways and and roadways to take a picture of or with the flower of Texas. The bluebonnet. 

It got its name from the color (der) and the shape it seem to resemble, a bonnet. A specific type of bluebonnet was named the state flower in 1901. But us Texans preferred a different species and in 1971, the state declared that any bluebonnet was the state flower. 

Bluebonnets are Texas' cherry blossoms. They bloom from mid-March to early May. They are, in fact a wildflower. They grow where they want to grow, though some cultivate them. 

I grew up believing that it is illegal to pick the flowers. It's simply not the case. But people are encouraged to respect the flower. Land in rural areas is dwindling so there is less space for them to grow in the wild. 

I believe this is my first photo of myself in a field of one of my favorite flowers. Their perfume is divine. 

My favorite.