What are the Texas state flower and bird?

The Texas state flower is the bluebonnet and the state bird is the mockingbird. The bluebonnet was adopted as the state flower of Texas in 1901. In addition to Texas, the mockingbird is also the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The bluebonnet gets its name from the color of its petals. Bluebonnet is found in North American prairies, which are extremely endangered as of 2014. Several species of bluebonnet grow in Texas, and though only one was considered the state flower, in 1971, legislature was changed to include all species of bluebonnet. Bluebonnet beat out cotton in the fight to become the state flower.