Texas State Flower: Bluebonnet

Texas State Flower Coloring 

One of the most unusual flowers, the Bluebonnet, is the State Flower of Texas. They are a type of Lupine, but the particular lupine that they are grows mostly only in Texas. The flowers sort of resemble the bonnets that pioneer women wore which is where they got their name. They bloom in the Spring, usually April to May, but can start in March if the weather is warmer that year. 

In South Texas all the way up to the Dallas area, they blanket the fields turning them into beautiful Blue landscapes.  They often have Indian Paintbrush mixed in so the fields look Blue with dots of Red.

Texans like to take photos of themselves in front of those fields. They also grow along the highways, and usually the Texas Department of Public Safety issues a warning in the Spring to motorists that implores them to be careful when stopping on highways to take photos. It's actually better to go off the highways and onto the back roads to see the fields of Blue anyway. 

My family is from Texas and when I was growing up there, it was an annual trip to go to the Hill Country North of San Antonio to see the Bluebonnets. 

As their name implies, they are Blue, with a tiny bit of White at the top of the plant which later turns Blue too, as the season wears on. Some of them smell very sweet, but many of them don't seem to have a scent at all, just their beauty. I love Bluebonnets, can you tell?

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Tennessee State Flower: Iris

Tennessee State Flower Coloring

Iris, Art and Coloring by Heather Burns

Tennessee has one of the most beautiful State Flowers in my opinion, the Iris. 

Tennessee is also one of the states that chose a separate Wildflower, in their case, the Passion Flower but the official State Flower is the Iris. 

The Iris is a very Orchid looking flower, but it is its own species. The Iris has 6 petals, 3 that are upright, and 3 that fall away from the center, called "falls." 

Irises bloom in the Spring, and are available in many colors, from White, to Yellow, to Blue, to Pink, Red, and shades of Purple. In Tennessee you most often see them in shades of Purple. 

They are a very popular flower worldwide and are native to Europe. Besides their exquisite beauty, they have a lovely scent.  

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South Dakota State Flower: Pasque Flower

South Dakota State Flower Coloring

The Pasque Flower is the State Flower of South Dakota. The plant only grows on Southward facing slopes in the wild, and is common throughout northwestern U.S. up to Northern Alaska. The Pasque Flower, like all tundra plants, grows low to the ground to keep out of the cold. It is also covered in fine silky hairs, which help insulate it. 

It is a Lavender color mostly, but can range from almost White, to a quite dark Lavender, almost Purple. According to English legend, the Pasque Flower springs from the blood of Vikings. I just love that, even if it's not really true. It blooms in the Spring, around Easter time, which is where it got its name.

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South Carolina State Flower: Yellow Jessamine

South Carolina State Flower Coloring

Yellow Jessamine (which some people shorten to Jasmine, but that's not really correct) is the State Flower of South Carolina. I have only been to Charleston, South Carolina once, but fell in love with it. The people, the historic mansions, the welcoming spirit, the food, everything but the humidity. Charleston is absolutely beautiful and the people there are some of the friendliest I've ever met. It's just a lovely city. 

From December through March when it blooms, you can smell the soft fragrance of the Yellow Jessamine everywhere, as it is used extensively as a ground cover and on trellises in all the gardens. As its name suggests, color it Yellow, a bright Sunlight Yellow. Too bad you can't smell its fragrance. It's lovely and used in many perfumes. 

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Rhode Island State Flower: Violet

Rhode Island State Flower Coloring

Rhode Island is one of 4 states which use the Violet as their State Flower. It's a lovely little flower and like its name suggests it is usually Purple. It can be light Purple, or dark Purple, or any shade in between. Violets also come in Cream, White, Yellow and Blue too. (Go figure) 

Violets have a wonderful scent and are used in many perfumes. They are ancient flowers as the Greeks and Romans both made wine from Violets and rhapsodized about them. They are small and bloom in the Spring for several months.

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Pennsylvania State Flower: Mountain Laurel

Pennsylvania State Flower Coloring

The Mountain Laurel is the State Flower of Pennsylvania (as well as Connecticut.) It's a beautiful little flower that grows on a shrub which will grow from 5 to 8 feet tall. It was named when Europeans encountered it and thought it resembled the Bay Laurel tree that grows in Europe. 

Mountain Laurel is easy to grow and doesn't require much sun either, and will even grow in full shade but a few hours of filtered sun light is ideal. The blossoms are either White or any of several shades of light Pink. They bloom from late Spring to mid Summer.

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Oregon Grape Coloring Page

Oregon State Flower Coloring

I have a friend who says that they got it wrong and should have named the Rhododendron as Oregon's State Flower. But they didn't, as the Oregon Grape blossom is the State Flower of Oregon. 

The flowers are a deep Yellow and bloom in the early Summer. After they fall off in late Summer, their plant grows dark Purple berries, that are a type of Grape. It is bitter but with added sugar can be used to make jams and jelly. 

The leaves and root of the plant are used by Herbalists as an anti-inflammatory medication.

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Oklahoma State Flower: The Rose

Oklahoma State Flower Coloring

Oklahoma is one of several states who chose the Rose as their State Flower. It is the favorite flower worldwide and is used in the most bouquets. Who remembers getting a dozen Red Roses or White Roses when you were dating? Or for Valentine's Day? I think most of my friends received them at one time or another. (Yes I did too.) 

They have one of the nicest scents in Nature, and there is even a perfume consisting entirely of the Rose fragrance, Joy. They grow in many colors and have been hybridized around the world, so there are countless varieties. White, Yellow, Pink, Red, and Purple are the most common colors of Roses, but you can go wild when you color them. They even come in Pink and White together and Yellow and Red together. I love Roses! 

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Ohio State Flower: Carnation

Ohio State Flower Coloring

Why do I want to sing "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation?" Those are the only words I know, but I remember my Mom singing it... anyway, I love Carnations, always have, always will. 

Besides being used for many boutonnieres over the years, Carnations are the flowers Ohio chose as their State Flower. Specifically, the Red or Scarlet Carnation. Carnations also come in White, Pink, and Purple besides Red, but Ohio uses the Red one. 

They have a lovely fragrance and last a very long time, so are popular in bouquets. The Greek botanist Theopharastus named them Dianthus (botanical name) from two Greek Words - "dios", referring to the god Zeus, and "anthos", meaning flower. Carnations are thus known as the "The Flowers of God." They bloom from May through July. 

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North Dakota State Flower: Prairie Rose

North Dakota State Flower Coloring

The Prairie Rose is the State Flower of North Dakota. (and Iowa too) Like all Roses, they have thorns on the stems so be careful if you pick them. They have a beautiful fragrance and come in shades of Pink with Yellow stamens in the center. 

They grow as trailing vines and usually in meadows or the edge of forests in their natural state. But of course gardeners use them too and they have to be staked or fall under their own weight. They bloom in June and July. They have been used in medicine since the dawn of time. 

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North Carolina State Flower: Dogwood

North Carolina State Flower Coloring

North Carolina chose the Dogwood as its State Flower. Virginia also uses it as their State Flower and 2 states use the Dogwood Tree as their State Tree. 

Dogwood flowers can be White, shades of Pink, or Reddish. They have a very nice scent and the fragrance perfumes the air in the Spring. In the Autumn the leaves of the trees put on another display as they turn Red and Orange. 

The bark of the Dogwood tree is as distinctive as the flower and is used in furniture and as a great wood for fires. 

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New York State Flower: Rose

New York State Flower Coloring

The Rose is the most popular flower worldwide, and New York chose it as their State Flower. The plants they grow on can be shrubs, trees, or vines. The flowers have an amazing scent and are used in many perfumes. They actually have a little fruit called Rose Hips, that is used in supplements, as it has a very high quality of Vitamin C. 

There are over 100 different types, as they have been cross bred for thousands of years. The first ones were probably  cultivated in China and Persia, as far back as 500 B.C.  In fact now scientists say they are probably 35 million years old as a species (!) Roses are available in many colors, so you can go wild coloring them. They bloom all year in cycles of 6-8 weeks, another reason why gardeners love them! 

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New Mexico State Flower: Yucca

New Mexico State Flower Coloring

When you drive across New Mexico, Southern Colorado, Texas and Arizona, you see lots of Yucca. It actually grows up in the Midwest too, but it's a plant that loves hot and dry places.  Its flower is White or Cream and the leaves are Green. But when the flowers dry up they turn Brown and hard. At that point they make a lovely dried flower decoration and I used to keep them around my house in vases.

The bell-shaped blooms emit a delicate, sweet fragrance which lures the Yucca’s sole pollinator, the Yucca moth. The relationship between New Mexico’s State Flower and the Yucca moth is a highly unusual and symbiotic one. 

Each species of Yucca plant is pollinated by a different species of Yucca moth uniquely suited to collect pollen from its Yucca plant. The moths roll the pollen into a ball and drop it into the stigma of a different Yucca plant of the same species. At the same time, the moth lays an egg in the flower. This happens in the early Summer, June or July when the flowers are in bloom. 

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New Jersey State Flower: Violet

New Jersey State Flower Coloring

The Violet is the State Flower of 4 states so that might speak to how popular it is. (I am counting the Wisconsin State Flower, the Wood Violet as one of the 4.) As their name suggests they are often Purple or Lavender but do come in Blue,White, Pink, Red, and Yellow plus combinations of colors, such as Blue and Yellow or dark and light Purple both on one flower, so go ahead and have fun turning them into wild color combos. They are ancient flowers as the Greeks and Romans both used them in medicine and food, and wine! Violets have a lovely scent too! 

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New Hampshire State Flower: Purple Lilac

New Hampshire State Flower: Purple Lilac

The Purple Lilac is one of my favorite flowers and is the State Flower of New Hampshire. True to its name, it comes in shades of Lavender to deeper Purple and is extremely fragrant. (Lilacs do come in 7 colors, but the State Flower is Purple Lilac.) 

The scent is very sweet and intoxicating and one of the strongest fragrances in Nature which makes it a favorite of many people, plus it looks beautiful hanging on its shrubs. 

The Lilac is actually a type of Syringa, which you may know is the State Flower of Idaho, so it may look familiar, but be sure you color this one Purple!  Lilac blooms in late May typically for a couple of weeks, but some types bloom in June. They can survive extreme cold and actually do better in climates that have a severe Winter. 

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Nevada State Flower: Sagebrush

Nevada State Flower Coloring

Nevada is a very dry state, in fact it looks mostly like a desert from the air and when driving across it. In the Northern part there are pine trees and a mountain range sits along the Western edge of it, but most of the state is just desert with a city full of bright neon lights and glitzy hotels sitting there surrounded by sand. (Las Vegas) So it's no wonder that Nevada chose the Sagebrush as its State Flower. 

Sage is actually an herb that is wonderful in cooking and used in medicine too and it has a fantastic scent so it works great as a State Flower, even if it's a little difficult to draw and color. The type of Sagebrush that grows in Nevada is Silvery Gray with Yellow flowers when it blooms which is in late Summer and Autumn.  There is of course beautiful Purple sage too, so you can color it Purple if you would rather. 

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Nebraska State Flower: Goldenrod

Nebraska State Flower Coloring

The Nebraska State Flower is the Goldenrod. Goldenrod is also the State Flower of Kentucky. Like its name suggests it is a Golden Yellow color. It blooms from July to October and has been said to be a good symbol for the pioneers who settled Nebraska.  It is very hardy like they had to be since the Winters in Nebraska can be severe. 

Fun facts: Goldenrod contains a substance that produces rubber, and Thomas Edison grew very tall Goldenrod and used it to make rubber! Henry Ford used it to make the tires for his Model T car too! 

Also, Goldenrod is not typically allergy producing even though it gets blamed for it. It's not ragweed which is allergenic, but it often grows in proximity so it gets lumped in as a culprit. The young leaves are edible. North Americans used it in Herbal remedies for toothaches.

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