Wisconsin State Flower: Wood Violet

Wisconsin State Flower Coloring

Wisconsin uses the Wood Violet as their State Flower. As their name suggests, they are mostly Violet in color, from light to dark, and all the shades in between. But there are Blue and White and Yellow, and Pink Violets too. 

The Violet is a small flower that grows along the ground, so is used as a ground cover.

Wood Violets have a really nice scent, and the leaves are very tasty and can be used in salads, candies, and jellies. The Greeks and Romans used them for all these things plus wine! 

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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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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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Michigan State Flower: Apple Blossom

Michigan State Flower Coloring

The Apple Blossom is the State Flower of Michigan, just as it is of Arkansas. Since Apple trees grow all over North America it's not that surprising. 

The scent of the Apple Blossom is very nice! And the flowers are quite beautiful too. They range from White to Pink, and often are White with Pink trim. Their scent is the basis of many perfumes being quite sweet. They bloom from April to June. 

Michigan chose  the specific species of Pyrus coronaria for its State Flower which is also called Crab Apple. They are very small apples and are used only for jellies or jams, not for eating. (There is no reason why you can't eat them however.) 

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Maine State Flower: White Pine Cone

Maine State Flower Coloring

One of the strangest state flowers is the White Pine Cone. The Pine Cone is not a flower or a seed either one. It does emit a sweet scent from its resin though. Pine trees are almost synonymous with Maine, so it's not a completely strange choice. 

I love the way they look and it was fun to draw this one. The Pine needles are Blue Green and the cones are Silvery White. 

It can take a few years before a Pine tree produces a Pine Cone. So don't pick them. Let them do their job of dispersing seeds into the landscape. 

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Louisiana State Flower: Magnolia

Louisiana State Flower Coloring

Louisiana, land of New Orleans! And steamy landscapes, lakes, and Magnolias with their sweet scent. It's the Deep South, the mansions in the middle of huge vine covered trees are here and the beautiful architecture with French influences, and the Cajun sea food. I love Louisiana and have many relatives there, scattered all over the state. The Magnolias bring back so many memories. 

They are huge tree flowers and come in White, Pink, Red, Purple, or Yellow blooms. The trees grow quite tall and spread to 40 feet wide! The scent is intoxicating and always reminds me of the South. Magnolias actually grow all across the South and are the state flower of Mississippi as well. They bloom from April till September. 

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Kentucky State Flower: Goldenrod

Kentucky State Flower Coloring

The Goldenrod flower is atop a plant that is more an herb than a true flower. The flowers are deep Golden Yellow which accounts for their name. 

Goldenrod is native to North America but has been introduced all over the world and it is very popular in Europe. However, the Germans and Chinese consider it an invasive species. 

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. Native Americans used it in Herbal remedies for toothaches. It typically blooms from May till late August, but the blooms last a long time, till October in many cases. 

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Kansas State Flower: Sunflower

Kansas State Flower Coloring

When I think of Kansas I think of corn as far as the eye can see, taller than most men. My father's family lived there so I spent many Summers visiting my grandmother and cousins and aunts and uncles. They lived in the Southeast corner and we would meander along old tiny roads to see all the cornfields. 

But on the sides of the fields would be giant Sunflowers. They grow very tall also (up to 15 feet!), and the seeds from them make a wonderful snack! 

Sunflowers are Yellow, with a Brown center. Sometimes the outside of the center is Brown with an inner circle of Green. There are a few Sunflowers that are Red, but they are called Sunflowers for a reason! If you want people to recognize your Sunflower color them Yellow. They bloom all during the month of September. 

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Iowa State Flower: Wild Prairie Rose

Iowa State Flower Coloring

 

Iowa chose the Wild Prairie Rose as its State Flower. Roses are the favorite flower worldwide, and this is one variety of them. They grow all over the central part of the USA. Their colors range from White, to all the shades of Pink (from dark to light,) and there are even some Lavender ones. They do have thorns, like all roses. The stamens are yellow. 

They grow in fields, and along the sides of the roads and their seeds often end up in the seed bags of grains so they proliferate among the buckwheat and corn. They have a lovely scent. They have been used in Herbal medicine since the dawn of time. 

Interestingly, 3 different species of the Prairie Rose grow in the state, and the legislature did not specify which of them was the official State Flower. The one here is the Rosa carolina. It blooms in June for about a month. 

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Indiana State Flower: Peony

Indiana State Flower Coloring

The Peony is the State Flower of Indiana. Peonies are actually native to China and Japan but grow in the Western United States too. They are used extensively in medicine in China and were known for their healing properties in the Middle Ages in Europe as well. Renoir featured them in some of his paintings.

They are very large flowers that bloom in the late Spring and Summer and are available in a wide variety of colors: Red, Pink, Dark Pink, White, and Yellow.  Their scent is very nice! They are very hardy and the bush that they bloom on can live as long as 50 years!!!

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Illinois State Flower: Violet

Illinois State Flower Coloring

Illinois is one of four states that decided on the Violet as their state flower. It's a beautiful flower and ancient too! There are references to Violets in Greek stories from 500 B.C!  

Violets have a lovely scent so easy to see why they are a beloved flower. As their name suggests, many of them are Purple or Lavender in color, but they actually can be White, Yellow, Blue, or Cream colored and some are Blue and Yellow combined. 

They are not the same flower as African Violets by the way. Violets have uses in herbal remedies and the Romans made wine from Violets. The real Violet flowers are large, but after their blooms die, smaller ones spring up closer to the ground. Thus Violets are in bloom for a very long time, from early Spring all the way through Summer. 

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Idaho State Flower: Syringa

Idaho State Flower Coloring

The Syringa flower is the blossom of a woody shrub. The plant can grow 10 feet tall, and the stems are very useful for many things including pipe stems and bows and arrows.

Meriwether Lewis wrote about Syringa when he made his famous journey to the Northwest United States. The flowers are very fragrant, with a scent sort of like Orange blossoms, so they are sometimes called Mock Orange. 

Syringa blossoms are Snow White with Orange-Yellow stamens. They bloom from April to June.  

I chose to draw this close up of the flowers that top the branches, just a tiny portion of one of the little clusters.  For the New Hampshire State Flower which is the Purple Lilac and a type of Syringa, I drew clusters on branches, so you can see how they look as part of the larger plant there. But here you see one of the little clusters by itself.

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Hawaii State Flower: Hibiscus

Hawaii State Flower Coloring

The state of Hawaii is a botanical wonderland and my favorite state in the USA. Over 50% of the botanical species there grow nowhere else on earth! I've been to every island at least once and would love to visit again as I consider it paradise on earth. 

They chose the Hibiscus as their State Flower probably because it  is so distinctive that everyone associates it with Hawaii. I love them and had them growing in my California garden for many years. The Hibiscus flower blooms year round! 

They are available in many colors so don't be shy, color it any color you choose! Every island grows them in several colors. However, the State Flower is actually the one that blooms in Yellow, so if you want to be absolutely authentic in your depiction of the State Flower, color it Yellow all over, including the center stem, with a little Brownish Red in the center below that stem. 

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Georgia State Flower: Cherokee Rose

Georgia State Flower Coloring

The state of Georgia picked the Cherokee Rose as their State Flower. It's pure White with Yellow stamens, and has a beautiful scent that is sort of like cloves. But like the song says "every rose has its thorn" and the Cherokee Rose is excessively thorny, so be careful if you try to pick some.

The Cherokee Rose is actually native to Southern China and Taiwan and Vietnam and Laos, all tropical climates, so it's easy to see why it would flourish in Georgia! Humidity plus! 

After the flowers fall off, the plants produce the Rose Hip fruit, which you see on Vitamin C capsules (if they use it,) because it's a potent source of that Vitamin C. 

I'm actually surprised that the Peach Blossom isn't the State Flower of Georgia since they call their ladies "Georgia Peaches" but the Cherokee Rose harkens back to the time when the Cherokee Indians had their reservation there so that's appropriate too. 

  

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Florida State Flower: Orange Blossom

Florida State Flower Coloring

Florida, the land of sunshine and beaches, and the scent of Oranges! And don't forget the crocodiles and alligators and Disneyworld.  I loved it both of the times I visited. Their state flower is another fruit blossom, the Orange Blossom. So first you get to see the beautiful flower, and then you get to eat a magnificent fruit that is one of Nature's marvels when it comes to vitamins! 

Orange trees grow really well in Florida, lucky for the people who live there! If I lived there I would have them all over my yard. Their scent is wonderful when they bloom in the Spring. (March and April) The blossoms are White with little Orange dots at the end of their stamens. 

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