Connally Letter on Bluebonnets

Wildflowers were a major interest for Lady Bird Johnson and Governor Connally joined in her efforts by distributing bluebonnet seeds and encouraging Texans to plant them. The bluebonnet was declared the state flower of Texas in 1901. The term "bluebonnet" actually includes several species, including Lupinus subcarnosus, L. texensis, L. havardii, L. concinnus, L. perennis, and L. plattensis. In 1933, the state also adopted "Bluebonnets," by Julia D. Booth and Lora C. Crockett, as the state's flower song. During the 1930s, the Highway Department began its program of planting bluebonnets along most major highways in Texas, a program that continues today. The beloved flower blooms in late March and early April.

This is a draft of a letter sent to constituents along with packets of bluebonnet seeds, with Connally's edits written by hand.

Letter on bluebonnets | Letter thanking Connally for bluebonnet seeds |
Bluebonnet seeds distributed by Governor Connally | "Modern Texas"

Letter on bluebonnets | Letter thanking Connally for bluebonnet seeds |
Bluebonnet seeds distributed by Governor Connally | "Modern Texas"

Courtesy John B. Connally Records, Lyndon Baines Johnson Library.