I had never seen a Texas bluebonnet up until just yesterday.  We were going down the highway, headed towards Austin, to see my Auntie, when we saw scads of brilliant dark blue flowers lining up along the roadside.  When I asked what they were, Maman told me they were Texas Bluebonnets.

They were so deep blue they nearly looked purple.  They looked like tiny ladie's bonnets and there were so many the fields looked blue instead of green!  Interspersed among the sea of blue were red, pink, and white.  When I asked Maman what they were, she simply said, "Texas Blues". 

I looked at her real strange because some of these flowers were clearly not blue.  I asked her, "Shouldn't they be called Texas pink, red, or white bonnets instead?"  She said, "No; they are still known as Texas Bluebonnets.  Don't know why, but that's just the way it is.  But I do know this: the white ones are albino, or lacking pigment, or color.  That is why they are white instead, but they are still called bluebonnets."

I was so excited at seeing these stunning blue flowers that I wanted Maman to take our picture amongst them.  She had Papa pull alongside the road while we kids tumbled out and posed among the flowers, where soon frenzied laughing and camera picture taking commenced.  She then had us pile back into the van and we continued our trip down to Austin.  She warned us not to pick them; we could get into big-time trouble if we did.  They were the state flower and they were not to be picked or stepped on.

The further south we went, the more plentiful the bluebonnets became.  One thing is for certain: I wish we had them in Louisiana; they were among the prettiest flowers I had ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes upon!