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Bet you didn’t know that Texas has an official state water lily…
I mean, c’mon. There’s pretty much a state EVERYTHING of Texas, so why not this?
And I’ve discovered the ideal place to see it in person: The International Waterlily Collection Garden in San Angelo.
For over thirty years, visitors to this unique outdoor space have been stopping to admire the fascinated flowers and lily pads. Ho hum, you say? What if I told you that some of the pads are eight feet in diameter!
A rainbow of blooms of up to 150 species inhabit six pools. What’s even more amazing is that the varieties on view are only about 1% of owner Ken Landon’s collection, which encompasses close to 90% of all water lilies, including some that have become extinct in their native lands. The types in the pools are changed annually, and signs identify many of the species.
My husband and I had so many thing on our “to see” list while we were in San Angelo, that I admit this park fell into the “if we have time” category. Thank heaven we did! The descriptions of it that I hadn’t done it justice.
Dozens of dragonflies and birds flitted around the pools and flowers, which made it even more enchanting.
The long flowering season of the waterlilies (from April to October) provides ample opportunity to see them but the height is September, which is when San Angelo’s Lily Fest is! Click this link for updates about the festival.
The best time to see the flowers is in the morning, but some of the blooms only occur in the evening.
But what about the Texas State Water Lily? I’m glad you asked! On April 26, 2011, the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas formally designated Nymphaea, “Texas Dawn” as the Official Waterlily of the State of Texas. San Angelo is home to the “Texas Dawn,” which was created by Landon.
The International Waterlily Collection has been designated by the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society as a premiere collection of lilies in existence. Pretty impressive, huh?
The display is near the corner of West Beauregard Avenue and North Park Street west of downtown San Angelo and the Concho River. The park is free to the public and open 24 hours.
So put the ‘petal to the metal’ (sorry!) and be sure to add this colorful, unique stop to your next visit to or through San Angelo.
Since Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were both born in Texas, it should come as no surprise that there is no shortage of places in the state with some sort of link to the notorious outlaws. 
When Bonnie, Clyde and the Barrow Gang drove up to the Ponder State Bank in Ponder, Texas and attempted to rob it, they were disappointed to find out it had gone bankrupt the week before. Legend has it that Cl
yde was so disgusted with the news that he marched the teller out to the getaway car at gunpoint, and ordered him to repeat what he had just said to Bonnie…who laughed hysterically. Clyde then shot out the windows of the bank in frustration.
Years later in 1967 Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway would film a reenactment of the event at the same bank while portraying the young outlaws. The fil
m, which told a version of their story that is far from the truth, glorified the couple as being glamorous outlaws. In reality they murdered at least thirteen people.
This popular movie is actually why most people refer to them as “Bonnie and Clyde.” In their day they were more commonly referred to as the Barrow Gang or Clyde Barrow and “that Parker woman.”
The Ponder bank is empty now, but still has much of it’s original charm including the original teller cage and bank safe.
I love when movies about historical characters are able to use actual locations from their (sometimes fictionalized) lives, don’t you?
If you stood on these steps would you be more impressed that you were standing where Bonnie & Clyde did, or Warren and Faye?
