When out collecting wildflowers I occasionally encounter uncommon flower variations – “mutant” versions of a flower with unusual coloring or shape. While gathering Bluebonnets last Sunday, I found Pink Bluebonnets!
The only other Bluebonnet variation I’ve stumbled upon was a very light – almost white – version, but they still had a whisper of blue and were still clearly Bluebonnets. This pink aberration would have been unrecognizable had it not been within a chock-full field of other Bluebonnets.
I wanted to know how rare these pink Bluebonnets really are, so I did a bit of Googling and found out how truly lucky I was to find them:
“…the pinks were indeed so rare that only four locations throughout the entire state were reported. The “mother lode” of pinks was found within the city limits of San Antonio.”
Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture
I also found a legend:
“Pink bluebonnets,” she said, “are only found growing along the riverside. They are nature’s way of reminding us never to forget the Alamo.”
The-Legend-of-the-Pink-Bluebonnets
As the story goes, these rare pink Bluebonnets soaked a pink hue from blood shed by the fighters at the Alamo. A legend that combines the Alamo with a rare bluebonnet variation – what more could a Texan ask for?
So, did I pick them? Yes I did. But only because they were already showing signs of season-end wilt, and because I could pick them while leaving their seed pods intact. Hopefully they will grow again next year!
I think a pink Bluebonnet pendant would sure make a nice Mother’s Day gift, don’t you?
