Bluebonnet FAQ

Everything you need to know about the state flower

BECOME A MEMBER

Membership is a cost-effective way to visit often and support our important work. Please join our efforts to connect people to the natural world and create a more sustainable future.

EVENTS & CLASSES

Join us for one of our exciting classes, programs or events

Tuesday Twilights feature

Tuesday Twilights

Tuesdays, March 19 – May 14

Nature Nights web banner

Nature Nights

Thursday, March 28

Mexican free-tailed bats in flight near Braken Cave. PHOTO Adam Barbe

Texas Bats

Wednesday, March 20

FIND A PLANT

Discover the Native Plants of North America


GARDEN VIEWS

An inside glimpse of the gardens from our Instagram feed

Celebrate the first day of spring with us! Tuesday Twilights is back, every Tuesday night from March 19 through May 14, 5-8 p.m.! Get ready for our seasonal happy hours featuring live music, food trucks, art installations and more. Reserve your spot at the link in our bio.

Here's the lineup for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 19:

MUSIC: @hollyfrostswings
FOOD: @ikenaves and @konfusedesindianfoodtruck 
DRINK: The first 100 guests will be gifted a cocktail kit containing Tito’s vodka and a Lady Bird Soda! Endulge in the featured cocktail for the evening, Tito’s Paloma, or your beverage of choice from the bar. 

Special thanks to our sponsor, @titosvodka!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #TuesdayTwilights

BTW, parking is limited, even with some extra options on La Crosse Avenue and in the streets of the nearby neighborhood. We suggest carpooling or using a rideshare to help keep the chill vibes of the evening going.
On March 24, 2024, visit the Wildflower Center to connect with scientists and fellow science enthusiasts to explore themes in plant biology and the natural world. RSVP for these free events at the link in our bio. 

All-Ages Science-Themed Fair
11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in the Great Hall
Celebrate discovery and the natural world with tables from UT Entomological Collections, the Plant Resources Center, and many others.

Lecture: "If We Are What We Eat, Then Where Are We From?"
1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Auditorium
Plant biology talk by Colin Khoury, senior director of science and conservation at the @sandiegobotanicgarden.

📷: Golden groundsel (Packera aurea) #StayWild #WildflowerCenter #STEM #ScienceFair #ScienceFun @TexasScience
Get ready for a total solar eclipse! Join us in our gardens on Monday, April 8, 2024 to enjoy eclipse related activities and view this rare astronomical event. The solar eclipse will be visible from 1:32 p.m. to 1:41 p.m. CST.

We have space for all of our friends in the gardens, but free parking on Wildflower Center property will not be available from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on April 8. If you do not purchase a guaranteed parking ticket, we highly recommend carpooling or ride-share options as there is limited street parking available on La Crosse. Please anticipate lines for parking and entering the gardens. 

Guaranteed parking tickets do not include admission. Admission is required for all guests and must be purchased separately. Tap the link in our bio to secure your spot for the solar eclipse day!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #SolarEclipse #SolarEclipse2024
Tuesday Twilights is back, every Tuesday night from March 19 through May 14, 5-8 p.m.! Get ready for our seasonal happy hours featuring live music, food trucks, art installations and more. Entry is included with admission, which is always free for members.

Here's the lineup for Tuesday, March 19:

MUSIC: @hollyfrostswings
FOOD: @ikenaves and @konfusedesindianfoodtruck 
DRINK: The first 100 guests will be gifted a cocktail kit containing Tito’s vodka and a Lady Bird Soda! Endulge in the featured cocktail for the evening, Tito’s Paloma, or your beverage of choice from the bar. 

Special thanks to our sponsor, @titosvodka!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #TuesdayTwilights

BTW, parking is limited, even with some extra options on La Crosse Avenue and in the streets of the nearby neighborhood. We suggest carpooling or using a rideshare to help keep the chill vibes of the evening going.
Join us for a special presentation on Texas bats with @batconservationinternational on March 20, 12:30-1:30 p.m. 

Discover their essential role in our ecosystem, get to know local species, their challenges, and ways to support them. Entry is free with general admission. Learn more via the link in our bio!

📷: Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) by Adam Barbe  #StayWild #WildflowerCenter
Today, we celebrate Lady Bird Johnson on International Women's Day, a trailblazer whose love for nature transformed America's landscapes. 

Her legacy in conservation and beautification continues to inspire and motivate us to cherish the landscapes around us. She played a pivotal role in the enactment of over 200 environmental laws, including the Wilderness Act, the Highway Beautification Act, and of course, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (founded as the National Wildflower Research Center in 1982)! 

At the Center, we honor her vision by continuing her commitment to a greener, more beautiful future, keeping her dream alive in every native plant we cultivate.

Tap the link in our bio for quick links to learn more about our founder and to plan your springtime Wildflower Center visit to see her legacy in bloom.

📷: Lady Bird Johnson posing among wildflowers at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas in April 1993 by Paul Cox. #StayWild #BeLikeLadyBird #LadyBirdJohnson #WildflowerCenter #InternationalWomensDay #IWD
🦉 Exciting news! Athena, the beloved great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, is back for her 14th year! And as a special treat, thanks to a collaboration with Cornell Lab of Ornithology (@cornellbirdcams), we now have a 24/7 live camera feed where you can watch Athena and her young as she raises them in her nest! Join us in celebrating Athena's return and the beauty of nature - visit the link in our bio to watch the live cam and learn more about Athena. 

📷: Screenshot from the Athena the great horned owl live cam.

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #AthenaTheOwl
Join us on March 9, 10-11 a.m., for Family Gardening Hour at our Little House Garden! This hands-on session is perfect for parents and young children (18 months – 5 years) to learn gardening basics and child-friendly plant knowledge together.

Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The class is free with general admission. To sign up, the link in our bio for our event calendar!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #Gardening #GrowThings
As #BlackHistoryMonth comes to a close, we are revisiting "The Influencers" by Abra Lee (@conquerthesoil) in the 2021 Wildflower magazine, which celebrates the contributions Black women have made to horticulture. 

Lee writes, "Though dismissed as scraps, we must be clear: Black women have always been necessary to the fabric of our country. Their hands and bodies have helped sow the glorious patchwork that is horticulture in the United States." Read the full article, including an audio recording at the link in our bio!

📷: Catherine Waiters of Mars Bluff, South Carolina, sweeps her neighbor’s yard with a broom made of dogwood (Cornus sp.). Copyright © 1993 Amelia Wallace Vernon 

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter
Celebrate the first day of spring with us! Tuesday Twilights is back, every Tuesday night from March 19 through May 14, 5-8 p.m.! Get ready for our seasonal happy hours featuring live music, food trucks, art installations and more. Reserve your spot at the link in our bio.

Here's the lineup for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 19:

MUSIC: @hollyfrostswings
FOOD: @ikenaves and @konfusedesindianfoodtruck 
DRINK: The first 100 guests will be gifted a cocktail kit containing Tito’s vodka and a Lady Bird Soda! Endulge in the featured cocktail for the evening, Tito’s Paloma, or your beverage of choice from the bar. 

Special thanks to our sponsor, @titosvodka!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #TuesdayTwilights

BTW, parking is limited, even with some extra options on La Crosse Avenue and in the streets of the nearby neighborhood. We suggest carpooling or using a rideshare to help keep the chill vibes of the evening going.
On March 24, 2024, visit the Wildflower Center to connect with scientists and fellow science enthusiasts to explore themes in plant biology and the natural world. RSVP for these free events at the link in our bio. 

All-Ages Science-Themed Fair
11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. in the Great Hall
Celebrate discovery and the natural world with tables from UT Entomological Collections, the Plant Resources Center, and many others.

Lecture: "If We Are What We Eat, Then Where Are We From?"
1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Auditorium
Plant biology talk by Colin Khoury, senior director of science and conservation at the @sandiegobotanicgarden.

📷: Golden groundsel (Packera aurea) #StayWild #WildflowerCenter #STEM #ScienceFair #ScienceFun @TexasScience
Get ready for a total solar eclipse! Join us in our gardens on Monday, April 8, 2024 to enjoy eclipse related activities and view this rare astronomical event. The solar eclipse will be visible from 1:32 p.m. to 1:41 p.m. CST.

We have space for all of our friends in the gardens, but free parking on Wildflower Center property will not be available from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on April 8. If you do not purchase a guaranteed parking ticket, we highly recommend carpooling or ride-share options as there is limited street parking available on La Crosse. Please anticipate lines for parking and entering the gardens. 

Guaranteed parking tickets do not include admission. Admission is required for all guests and must be purchased separately. Tap the link in our bio to secure your spot for the solar eclipse day!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #SolarEclipse #SolarEclipse2024
Tuesday Twilights is back, every Tuesday night from March 19 through May 14, 5-8 p.m.! Get ready for our seasonal happy hours featuring live music, food trucks, art installations and more. Entry is included with admission, which is always free for members.

Here's the lineup for Tuesday, March 19:

MUSIC: @hollyfrostswings
FOOD: @ikenaves and @konfusedesindianfoodtruck 
DRINK: The first 100 guests will be gifted a cocktail kit containing Tito’s vodka and a Lady Bird Soda! Endulge in the featured cocktail for the evening, Tito’s Paloma, or your beverage of choice from the bar. 

Special thanks to our sponsor, @titosvodka!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #TuesdayTwilights

BTW, parking is limited, even with some extra options on La Crosse Avenue and in the streets of the nearby neighborhood. We suggest carpooling or using a rideshare to help keep the chill vibes of the evening going.
Join us for a special presentation on Texas bats with @batconservationinternational on March 20, 12:30-1:30 p.m. 

Discover their essential role in our ecosystem, get to know local species, their challenges, and ways to support them. Entry is free with general admission. Learn more via the link in our bio!

📷: Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) by Adam Barbe  #StayWild #WildflowerCenter
Today, we celebrate Lady Bird Johnson on International Women's Day, a trailblazer whose love for nature transformed America's landscapes. 

Her legacy in conservation and beautification continues to inspire and motivate us to cherish the landscapes around us. She played a pivotal role in the enactment of over 200 environmental laws, including the Wilderness Act, the Highway Beautification Act, and of course, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (founded as the National Wildflower Research Center in 1982)! 

At the Center, we honor her vision by continuing her commitment to a greener, more beautiful future, keeping her dream alive in every native plant we cultivate.

Tap the link in our bio for quick links to learn more about our founder and to plan your springtime Wildflower Center visit to see her legacy in bloom.

📷: Lady Bird Johnson posing among wildflowers at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas in April 1993 by Paul Cox. #StayWild #BeLikeLadyBird #LadyBirdJohnson #WildflowerCenter #InternationalWomensDay #IWD
🦉 Exciting news! Athena, the beloved great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, is back for her 14th year! And as a special treat, thanks to a collaboration with Cornell Lab of Ornithology (@cornellbirdcams), we now have a 24/7 live camera feed where you can watch Athena and her young as she raises them in her nest! Join us in celebrating Athena's return and the beauty of nature - visit the link in our bio to watch the live cam and learn more about Athena. 

📷: Screenshot from the Athena the great horned owl live cam.

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #AthenaTheOwl
Join us on March 9, 10-11 a.m., for Family Gardening Hour at our Little House Garden! This hands-on session is perfect for parents and young children (18 months – 5 years) to learn gardening basics and child-friendly plant knowledge together.

Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. The class is free with general admission. To sign up, the link in our bio for our event calendar!

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter #Gardening #GrowThings
As #BlackHistoryMonth comes to a close, we are revisiting "The Influencers" by Abra Lee (@conquerthesoil) in the 2021 Wildflower magazine, which celebrates the contributions Black women have made to horticulture. 

Lee writes, "Though dismissed as scraps, we must be clear: Black women have always been necessary to the fabric of our country. Their hands and bodies have helped sow the glorious patchwork that is horticulture in the United States." Read the full article, including an audio recording at the link in our bio!

📷: Catherine Waiters of Mars Bluff, South Carolina, sweeps her neighbor’s yard with a broom made of dogwood (Cornus sp.). Copyright © 1993 Amelia Wallace Vernon 

#StayWild #WildflowerCenter

Help us spread the beauty!

EXPLORE MORE

Expert advice, plant nerdery and inspiring stories

Snow-on-the-prairie and a paper wasp; because it's a UVIVF image, the centers of the flowers stand out in blue against a plant that looks purple, and clumps of pollen shine bright white.

A Different Light

Creative photography helps us see flowers with new eyes

Illustration of compound leaves and round yellow flowers goldenball lead tree (Leucaena retusa)

Reflections and Reclamation

On Black Botanists Week and the power of representation
Big white bluestem prickly poppy blooms above purple blooms of prairie verbena along a concrete path.

Grounded

Time travel via tallgrass prairie