U.S. State Birds Flowers, Trees & Capitals

Do You Know What Your State Flower or Bird Is?

Well You Should!

 

 

Once upon a time state flowers were found along hillsides, highways and home gardens. The Golden Poppy is California State flower and yet, I don't see them along hillsides, highways or in anyone's gardens! What ever happen to the glory of seeing all of the beautiful flowers.. and where have they gone?

 

I rarely see a California Golden Poppy alongside the road or in the distance. It was a grand site to see a hillside with a blanket of orange poppies! The brilliant color was hard to miss. Every now and again I'll see a couple poppies in a cluster and remember the days of rolling hills of orange.

 

Other people are saying the same thing about not finding their state flowers in the wild, alongside roads or even at nurseries. It's time for all of us to take back our flowers and say.. I miss  you, I want you, I need you and I will represent!

 

I challenge all backyard gardeners and state capitals to plant at least one state plant. If you're from New York, your state flower is a beautiful rose. If you're from Florida, your state flower is a wonderful orange blossom. If you're from the Illinois, your state flower is a lovely native violet.

 

As backyard gardeners, we should be the first to notice our state flowers missing from the common landscapes of America. Gardening is often a domino effect. Perhaps if you plant your state flower in in your front yard, maybe your neighbor will or maybe you'll inspire someone in the community to do the same. How about buying a pack of flowers and offer your neighbor one?

 

 

California Golden Poppy

 

 

So many things from childhood or landscapes are missing or are being lost because, we as people are either neglecting or simply forgetting about things. The social media/internet/computer age has unfortunately made all of us couch potatoes or computer chair loungers.

 

We all use to have at least one ol' backyard gardener on the block who had the best lawn, the best flower beds or the best curb appeal. As kids we would think, 'Man .. that guy needs to get a life.' 

 

Well guess what? That 'guy' did have a life. He was creating beauty, history, memories for himself, his family and for passer-bye's. It's time to slow down, give up the computer, cellphones and T.V. for a day and get out and be that guy who takes pride in his manicured lawn and beautiful flower beds.

 

I rarely see anyone with flower beds anymore.. I hope to change that by planting flower beds in my front yard and one of them will include the California state flower, the Golden Poppy.

Get FREE Garden Seeds & More!

Reseeding Your State or County With Wildflowers!
Did you know that some states actually reseed wildflower seeds each year via hydro-seeding but, most states don't.

You can actually adopt a highway to help pick-up litter.. how about reseeding your native flower? Here's a link to contact your governor to request that your state reseed your native flower. Tell them how much you miss seeing that special flower and how states like Illinois actually reseed country sides using hydro-seeding method.

 Contact Your Governer - Ask To Reseed Wildflowers!

 

 

 

Where to Buy state wildflower seeds

 

http://www.2bseeds.com/state-wildflower-seed-mixes

http://www.americanmeadows.com/wildflower-seeds

http://www.burpee.com/flowers/

http://www.edenbrothers.com/store/flower_seeds.html

http://www.wildflowermix.com/

 

 

Arkansas State Flower

Apple Blossom (Pyrus Coronaria)

 

STATE	STATE TREE		STATE FLOWER			STATE BIRD
Alabama Montgomery	Southern Pine Picea sitchensis		Camellia Camellia sp.			Yellow Hammer
Alaska Juneau	Sitka Spruce Pinus palustris		Forget-me-not Myosotis scorpioides			Willow Ptarmigan
Arizona Phoenix	Paloverde Cercidium floridum		Saguaro cactus Carnegiea gigantea			Cactus Wren
Arkansas Little Rock	Pine Pinus echinata		Apple blossom			Mockingbird
California Sacramento	California Redwood Sequoia sempervirens		Golden poppy Eschscholzia californica			California Valley Quail
Colorado Denver	Blue Spruce Picea pungens		Rocky Mountain Columbine Aquilegia caerulea			Lark Bunting
Connecticut Hartford	White Oak Quercus alba		Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia			Robin
Delaware Dover	American Holly Ilex opaca		Peach blossom			Blue Hen Chicken
Florida Tallahassee	Cabbage Palmetto Sabal palmetto		Orange blossom			Mockingbird
Georgia Atlanta	Live Oak Quercus virginiana		Cherokee rose Rosa laevigata			Brown Thrasher
Massachusetts Boston		American Elm Ulmus americana		Mayflower Epigaea repens		Chickadee
Michigan Lansing		Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus		Apple blossom Pyrus coronaria		Robin
Minnesota St. Paul		Red Pine Pinus resinosa		Lady slipper Cypripedium reginae		Common Loon
Mississippi Jackson		Southern Magnolia Magnoila grandiflora		Magnolia Magnolia grandiflora		Mockingbird
Missouri Jefferson City		Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida		Hawthorn Crataegus sp.		Bluebird
Montana Helena		Ponderosa Pine Pinus ponderosa		Bitterroot Lewisia rediviva		Western Meadowlark
Nebraska Lincoln		Cottonwood Populus deltoides		Goldenrod Soldiago gigantea		Western Meadowlark
Nevada Carson City		Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata		Sagebrush Artemisia arbuscula		Mountain Bluebird
New Hampshire Concord		Paper Birch Betula papyrifera		Purple lilac Syringa vulgaris		Purple Finch
New Jersey Trenton		Northern Red Oak Quercus rubra		Purple violet Viola sororia		Eastern Goldfinch
New Mexico Santa Fe		Pinyon Pinus edulis		Yucca Yucca sp.		Roadrunner
New York Albany		Sugar Maple Acer saccharum		Rose Rosa sp.		Bluebird
North Carolina Raleigh		Pine Pinus palustris		Dogwood Cornus florida		Cardinal
North Dakota Bismarck		American Elm Ulmus americana		Wild prairie rose Rosa carolina		Western Meadowlark
Ohio Columbus		Ohio Buckeye Aesculus glabra		Scarlet carnation Dianthus caryophyllus		Cardinal
Oklahoma Oklahoma City		Eastern Redbud Cercis canadensis		Mistletoe Loranthaceae sp.		Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Oregon Salem		Douglas fir Pseudotsuga meziesii		Oregon Grape Mahonia aquifolium		Western Meadowlark
Pennsylvania Harrisburg		Eastern Hemlock Tsuga canadensis		Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia		Ruffed Grouse
Rhode Island Providence		Red Maple Acer rubrum		Violet Viola sp.		Rhode Island Red
South Carolina Columbia		Cabbage Palmetto Sabal palmetto		Yellow jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens		Great Carolina Wren
South Dakota Pierre		White Spruce Picea flauca		Pasque flower Anemone pulsatilla		Ring-necked Pheasant
Tennessee Nashville		Yellow Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera		Purple iris Iridaceae sp.		Mockingbird
Texas Austin		Pecan Carya illinoensis		Texas Blue Bonnet Lupinus texensis		Mockingbird
Utah Salt Lake City		Blue Spruce Picea pungens		Sego lily Calochortus gunnisonii		American Seagull
Vermont Montpelier		Sugar Maple Acer saccarum		Red clover Trifolium pratense		Hermit Thrush
Virginia Richmond		Flowering Dogwood Cornus florida		Dogwood Cornus florida		Cardinal
Washington Olympia		Western Hemlock Tsuga heterophylla		Western rhododendron Rhododendron macrophyllum		Willow Goldfinch
West Virginia Charleston		Sugar Maple Acer saccarum		Rhododendron Rhododendron sp.		Cardinal
Wisconsin Madison		Sugar Maple Acer saccarum		Wood violet Viola sororia		Robin
Wyoming Cheyenne		Cottonwood Populus Sargentii		Indian paint brush Castilleja affinis		Western Meadow Lark

SouthWestGardenGuide.BlogSpot.com

U.S. First Lady

Lady Bird Johnson

 

*Lady Birdy Johnson always lead by example. She was the top doll of U.S. First Ladies. She left a legacy to America by setting up an organization called Lady Bird Johnson's Wildflower Center located at University of Texas at Austin. There's lots of resources on her website and her organization offers grants to schools and communities to ensure education regarding conservation for future educations.

 

Backyard gardeners can purchase wildflowers seeds directly from Lady Bird Johnson's organization as well.

 

LADY BIRD'S LEGACY

Sowing the Future, One Seed at a Time
The Austin American-Statesman, in partnership with the Wildflower Center, has begun a five-year campaign to honor Lady Bird Johnson by bringing color to the hills and highways of Central Texas. The campaign, which will raise money to plant wildflower seeds, will conclude in 2012, the year when Lady Bird would have turned 100.

In support of this campaign, a special mix of Central Texas wildflower seeds has been created by the Wildflower Center in collaboration with Native American Seed. A share of the proceeds from the sale of Lady Bird's Legacy Mix goes to fund the Wildflower Center's Seed Grant Program.