If Texas Didn’t Have The Bluebonnet, What Would Our Flower Be?

Bluebonnets are pretty. They're also all over Texas every year, and they make for great selfies. In just a short time, everyone's social media feed will be filled with influencers and wannabes surrounded by the state flower of Texas.

What if the Bluebonnet wasn't our state flower? What could it be instead?

Pretty Or Prevalence? Which One Matters More?

When it comes to deciding a state flower, there must be certain criteria that are met. Surely prevalence is one of the key factors that help determine a state factor. It's hard to imagine having a state flower that you can't find anywhere in the state.

In the interest of having pride in your state, you would probably want the state flower to be something that can be found from border to border. You want a flower that is readily seen, so as to always inspire a certain kind of pride in that which we call home.

So, then, what could we look to that would serve as this kind of reminder of where we are, and where we're from? I would like to offer a suggestion.

I Suggest: The Conus Aurantiacus

If the name doesn't ring a bell, that's because I looked up "orange" and "cone" in Latin, which is a dead language unless you're into science; or you like sounding like you're casting a spell in a Harry Potter movie.

Yes, behold! The rightful, widespread, you're-gonna-see-it-everywhere-you-go "flower" that we should hail as the state flower of Texas is the traffic cone.

We have legendary traffic cones in Texas, and they're absolutely everywhere.

From I-35 to I-40, and in every town, city, municipality in between, we're covered in these things. A quick glance at TXDOT's project tracker shows that almost 16,500 projects are currently active.

As we head into the spring and summer months, know that you'll be encountering this "flower" pretty much everywhere you go. Slow down, keep an eye out for crews, and just keep reminding yourself of how nice it's all going to be once it's finished.