Pages

March 28, 2010

Poppies! More signs of spring, and the day celebrating California's state flower is coming up

I love this photo, sent from one of my devoted readers, mainly because I've seen lots of these glorious golden blooms carpeting fields and roadsides lately.

Poppies are our state flowers, and I just learned that California Poppy Day is coming up on April 6.

Poppies became the official state flower in 1903.

However, that designation was a long time coming, mainly because of a state Legislature that couldn't get its act together on this issue.

Times don't change, do they?

The members of the California State Floral Society decided in 1890 that the golden poppy would best serve as California's official emblem.

But it took another 13 years before the legislature made it official on March 2, 1903. Now the poppy's status is enshrined in state law.


According to the state Government Code, Title 1, Division 2, Section 421: "The golden poppy (Eschscholzia) is the official State Flower. April 6 of each year is hereby designated California Poppy Day."

1 comment:

Anna, The Lemon Lady said...

Poppies are everywhere. I love it! I saw a few photographers out by YVR heading Westbound just before Homestead, or maybe just after. They were photographing a large patch of poppies, so bright it stopped traffic.