Texas Wild Cards

The idea of Texas Wild Cards began as a fort. Imagine an enormous house-of-cards, big and strong enough for a whole family to climb on.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center commissioned Climb On Art to design and build Texas Wild Cards for their Fortlandia event in 2023. Inspired by the botanical gardens, the cards illustrate the native landscapes across Texas.

Texas Wild Cards build team at Fortlandia opening

The Texas Wild Cards build team poses for a group photo in front of the fort. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Fortlandia event opened in October 2023.

Each suit represents a native habitat:

The hill country hosts fields of wildflowers and pollinators.

Trees and woodlands provide shelter for many animals.

Deserts reveal succulent blooms and hardy critters.

Prehistoric plants and animals have lived in Texas for eras.

A man holds several Texas Wild Card playing cards in his hand

Photo by Karc Photography.
Texas Wild Card playing cards are a handheld version of the oversized fort cards.

Discover the names of the plants and animals on Texas Wild Cards:

Texas Hill Country

		Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus Texas state insect
		American Bumble Bee Bombus pensylvanicus
		Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
		Texas Bluebonnet Lupinus texensis Texas state flower
		Indian Paintbrush Castilleja indivisa
		Indian Blanket Gaillardia pulchella
		Showy Evening Primrose Oenothera speciosa
		Rock Rose Pavonia lasiopetala

Texas Woodland

		Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos Texas state bird
		Mexican Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis Texas state flying mammal
		Luna Moth Actias luna
		Pecan Tree Carya illinoinensis Texas state tree
		Box Elder Tree Acer negundo
		Post Oak Tree Quercus stellata
		Cedar Elm Tree Ulmus crassifolia
		American Sycamore Tree Platanus occidentalis

Texas Desert

		Texas Toad Anaxyrus speciosus Texas state amphibian
		Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
		Texas Tortoise Gopherus berlandieri
		Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia engelmannii Texas state plant
		Texas Living Rock Cactus Ariocarpus fissuratus
		Claret Cup Cactus Echinocereus triglochidiatus
		Red Yucca Hesperaloe parviflora
		Century Plant Agave parryi

Texas Prehistoric

		Texas Horned Lizard Phrynosoma cornutum Texas state reptile
		Nine-Banded Armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus Texas state small mammal
		Common Green Darner Dragonfly Anax junius Dragonflies have roamed earth for 300 million years
		Wood Fern Thelypteris kunthii
		Yellow Pond Lily Nuphar lutea Pond lilies appeared in the Cenozoic era
		Pinyon Pine Pinus edulis Pines appeared in the Mesozoic era
		Maidenhair Fern Adiantum capillus-veneris
		Flower Of Stone Selaginella lepidophylla Spike moss appeared in the Paleozoic era