In memory of Lady Bird Johnson

I received a sad notice in my inbox just now – Lady Bird Johnson passed away today at her home here in Austin.

If you’ve never been to Texas in the springtime, you don’t know about Mrs. Johnson’s most startling legacy of beauty that she left to us in this state. Each April by the roadsides, wildflowers begin to bloom – bluebonnets, paintbrushes, Indian blankets and a million others. They bloom into June. For a few months, the flowers reign and the grasses are not cut. People happily let their yards grow wild. For a few months, Texas looks a little more like the wild land it used to be, thanks to Mrs. Johnson and her efforts. She was a conservationist, and dedicated to the idea of native landscapes and being environmentally sensitive. And not just here, but nationally as well.

She inspired in me much of my love of flowers and nature, herbology and conservation – just through her undoubted effect on the land that I’ve lived in. Everyone who knows me knows that I am a real nut about wildflowers, and that springtime in Central Texas is my slice of heaven, and that flowers in general are my “thing.” She is why. Visiting the wildflower center and seeing their ongoing work of conservation, of keeping our landscaping and gardening in harmony with the indigenous plant life of the area, was sort of like going to the altar of Lady Bird for me. For one thing, the whole thing is watered by collected rainwater and an aqueduct system. It’s my dream to one day have a butterfly garden like hers. I will definitely mourn her, and I know a lot of people will mourn her as well.

I’m going to share what the Wildflower Center sent me, and if you feel so moved, honor her passing by giving to the Center that she founded. The pictures on this page are of the flowers at her ranch, along the Texas roads and at the Wildflower Center. Please enjoy.

“Mrs. Johnson created the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1982 as a place where people could visit beautiful native wildflower gardens, and learn about the role served by native plants and native landscapes in maintaining a healthy environment and defining our sense of place.

Even before this wonderful place existed, Mrs. Johnson was a champion of our natural heritage. As First Lady, Mrs. Johnson traveled all over the country to draw public attention to the need to protect our natural treasures and to address growing environmental problems. She was the driving vision behind the Highway Beautification Act, and a public force for expansion of the National Parks System, the preservation of wilderness, and other initiatives. Her example and her accomplishments laid the groundwork for the later emergence of a national environmental movement.

As Mrs. Johnson said: “The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest; it is the one thing all of us share. It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.”

Mrs. Johnson’s extraordinary vision and commitment will live on at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. We urge you to visit the Center and enjoy the place she loved so much.

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Here you can find a final tribute to Lady Bird Johnson.

For more information about her, you can read the biography page at the Wildflower Center.

The family of Lady Bird has asked that those wishing to pay tribute to her make a donation to the Wildflower Center.