Saturday, March 23, 2013

WeWriWa - More Regional Nonfiction

From the forthcoming follow-up book to the Amazon bestseller The ABC's of Oklahoma Plants, The ABC's of Texas Plants!

 From Chapter L...
Lupinus texensis

Texas bluebonnet


Aside from being the state flower of Texas, the Texas bluebonnet makes its appearance in this book for my sweet friend, Rochelle, who hails from the Texas hill country. In the words of fellow Historian Jack Maguire, “The bluebonnet is to Texas what the shamrock is to Ireland, the cherry blossom is to Japan, the lily to France, the rose to England, and the tulip to Holland.” Wow, Texas – our state compared – not to other states, but to countries ... awesome!

These flowers are normally blue, as the name implies, but rarely you may find a white bluebonnet, which is believed to have been the inspiration for our white Lone Star on the Texas flag. South of the town of San Antonio grows another special form of bluebonnet – a pink or crimson flower, sometimes referred to as an Aggie bluebonnet. Legend has it that this pink variety grows only downstream from the Alamo. I’ll let your minds wrap around that little tidbit of information as to why you think it grows there and only there ... might it have something to do with the legendary battle of the Alamo?
 
 
Want to catch up on all the nonfiction, bestselling, botanical fun? Check out The ABC's of Oklahoma Plants ... and watch for your state coming soon! Get your Kindle version here and your print version here!
 
Needing some historical romance? Check out my An Everlasting Heart series by checking out my website!
 
 

20 comments:

  1. Interesting facts, thank you for sharing.

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  2. Please do tell why it only grows downstream from the Alamo. Interesting, that!

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    1. Hey thanks for the comment, Debbie! Well, legend has it that they grow there pink tainted from the blood of those killed at the Alamo :-)

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  3. Some fascinating lore there, especially about the Alamo. Really enjoying these snippets!

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    1. Thank you, Veronica! I enjoy your comments! :-D

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  4. Very cool info. An academic question though...should a blue flower whose color is changed by blood be changed to purple?

    I don't know a lot about how these legends work, or even how flowers change color, but I was curious. I did have some pink and blue morning glories planted next to each other and through cross-pollination (I think) ended up with some that were pink on one half and blue on the other. That was cool.

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    1. How neat about your morning glories!

      I have no idea about your adademic question, all I know is the legend :-) It all adds to the wonderful mystery of the pink bluebonnets!

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  5. As a geneticist (hobby only) what happens if you cross pink and blue? What happens if you self the offspring? And why not include photos of the flowers?

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    1. Hey Sue Ann, always a pleasure to see your name come across my blog!

      I have no idea about genetics, I like history lol Thanks for asking about the photos! I am proud to report that LADYBIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER will be donating all the photographs for this book, as well! Actually, once I receive the photos from the center, the book will be ready to go to print! Yay!

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  6. Excellent snippet. I didn't know that about the legend of the pink bluebonnet. As a former elementary teacher, I think kids will love this book. Can't wait to see the pics when it's done!

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  7. Interesting details about the bluebonnet...you know your plants.

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  8. Nice info, and most is new for me.

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    1. Thanks, Elaine! Good to see you here today!

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  9. Now that has piqued my interest. Flowers and the Alamo. I want to read more!

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    1. Thanks Ellie! I hope to have it out in time for summer!

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  10. How did I miss you last week? Non-fiction! How cool of you, says me the historian. Excellent 8 sentence factoid.

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    1. I'm right there with you, and thanks!! Just posted a pic of some of the different colors of bluebonnets!

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