Lady Bird Johnson, the nation's first environmentalist First Lady, co-founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
in 1982 in Austin, Texas. Now, a wildflower mix has been created by Native American Seed and the Wildflower Center,
in support of the Austin American-Statesman's Lady Bird's Legacy campaign
to "add more wildflowers to the hills, highways and neighborhoods of Central Texas." You can find that
mix here.
A little story...
Some years back, I was doing Coastal Prairie work in the Acadiana country of Louisiana. I remember early one
morn 'bout daybreak, taking a breakfast of hot biscuits and sipping
that thick Dark Roast Community Coffee. Me and the crew talkin' over
strategy of the coming day's work.
Sittin' at a table next to us was a couple of retired Cajun
truck drivers. They overheard us talkin' and wondered if we weren't
from Texas. Of course, with enthusiasm we described who and what
we were about. They introduced themselves with such a Cajun
dialect, we had to stretch our minds to understand. One of the men
with a stubbly, unshaven face was named Herbert.
The other was a thin man named Robert. Now in Acadiana, I did
learn a thing or two. What we pronounce "Her-bert" they
prounounce "Airbay"... and Robert they call "Rowbay."
After some small talk and gentle laughter, Airbay leaned towards me
and the Texans' table and said, "You boys from central
Texas must know... that is one of the most beautiful places on God's green earth.
Why, I can see it now... just as perfect as the days I used
to truck through there, back before the Interstate when we followed
Highway 290 out west towards El Paso. Crossin' over
those hills I knew why Apaches fought so hard for their land. Springtime
flowers of every color on the rainbow as far as the
eye could see."
When Lady Bird passed away last year, I recalled that little exchange
in Acadiana and how it filled me with a sense of pride and an appreciation
of the beauty of our place. I got to thinking about my "sense of place" - and how so many
people in our television-saturated, monoculture homogenized world... have
no idea what "home" really means anymore.
Lady Bird understood what it meant. And to visit with her was to
experience how having a "sense of place" adds to having a sense of
who you are as a person. What it means to contribute your talents and passions
into making a more beautiful world during the few days you are here.
She was a gracious, giving, plainspoken woman - and in my opinion,
much of her/our work remains undone. We look forward to seeing her again some day...
up in the grassy hills covered with spring wildflowers.
But until that time comes, we at Native American Seed will continue to spend our days
helping people restore the earth.
For information on these and other wildflowers, visit the Wildflower Center website.
For information about, or to donate to, the Austin American Statesman's
Lady Bird Legacy wildflower seeding campaign, visit statesman.com/wildflowers.
