Q. Bluebonnet season is almost here! What can you tell me about bluebonnet history, lore, and where I can see the best bluebonnets?
A. In the 1930s, the Texas Highway Department began a landscaping and beautification program that enhanced the bluebonnet’s range. Due largely to that agency’s efforts, bluebonnets now grow along most major highways throughout the state. Also, thanks to Lady Bird Johnson and many others, the Highway Beautification Act was passed by Congress during LBJ’s presidency. Lady Bird also was the driving force behind the National Wildflower Center in Austin. Check out their website at wildflower. org. A visit to the LBJ ranch in the spring is also a bluebonnet and wildflower treat.
There are several origin stories about the bluebonnet, but the best known is the one told by J. Frank Dobie, the famous Texas folklorist, in “Tales of Old-Time Texas.” J. Frank Dobie has a particular connection to the San Marcos Public Library. His personal office chair — the one in which he sat when writing so many of his books and tales — is part of the Mike Cox Collection housed in the Texas History Room at the library. The bluebonnet origin myth that he wrote about is the same one described in the children’s book by Tomie DePaola, “The Legend of the Bluebonnet.” Both versions (available at the library) are re-tellings of the Comanche Indian legend of how a little girl’s sacrifice brought the bluebonnet to Texas. You can also read a re-telling of the story in Elizabeth Silverthorne’s book “Legends & Lore of Texas Wildflowers” also available at the library.
