Texas Pennybook

this First Edition Texas book. The cover shows these four photos: 1) Bluebonnet - Named for its color and, it is said, the resemblance of its petal to a woman's sunbonnet, the bluebonnet is the state flower of Texas. It blooms in the early spring and can be readily found in fields and along the roadsides throughout central and south Texas. Scientifically named Lupinus texensis, the bluebonnet is also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, and (by the Mexicans) el conejo. It was adopted as the official state flower by the Texas Legislature in 1901. 2) Mockingbird -The Mockingbird is a common songbird that is found across North America. It is the state bird of Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. It lives in a variety of habitats, including farmlands, roadsides, thickets, and towns. The Mockingbird has a variety of calls. It mimics many other birds' calls, and can sing for hours. Its scientific name, Mimus polyglottos, means "Mimic of many tongues." 3) The Alamo - Originally names Mision San Antonio de Valero, The Alamo served as home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. In the early 1800s, the Spanish military stationed a cavalry unit at the former mission. The soldiers referred to the old mission as the Alamo (the Spanish word for "cottonwood") in honor of their hometown Alamo de Parras, Coahuila. The Alamo was home to both Revolutionaries and Royalists during Mexico's ten-year struggle for independence. 4) Texas Longhorn - The Texas Longhorn was fashioned entirely by nature right here in North America. Stemming from ancestors that were the first cattle to set foot on American soil almost 500 years ago, it became the sound end product of "survival of the fittest". Shaped by a combination of natural selection and adaptation to the environment, the Texas Longhorn is the only cattle breed in America which - without aid from man - is truly adapted to America.