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

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heart

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

Texas state insect

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American Bumble Bee

Bombus pensylvanicus

jack
jack

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandri

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Texas Bluebonnet

Lupinus texensis

Texas state flower

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Indian Paintbrush

Castilleja indivisa

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Indian Blanket

Gaillardia pulchella

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Showy Evening Primrose

Oenothera speciosa

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Rock Rose

Pavonia lasiopetala

Texas Woodland

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spade

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Texas state bird

queen
spade

Mexican Free-tailed Bat

Tadarida brasiliensis

Texas state flying mammal

jack
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Luna Moth

Actias luna

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spade

Pecan Tree

Carya illinoinensis

Texas state tree

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Box Elder Tree

Acer negundo

spade

Post Oak Tree

Quercus stellata

spade

Cedar Elm Tree

Ulmus crassifolia

spade

American Sycamore Tree

Platanus occidentalis

Texas Desert

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Texas Toad

Anaxyrus speciosus

Texas state amphibian

queen
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Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus

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Texas Tortoise

Gopherus berlandieri

ace
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Prickly Pear Cactus

Opuntia engelmannii

Texas state plant

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Texas Living Rock Cactus

Ariocarpus fissuratus

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Claret Cup Cactus

Echinocereus triglochidiatus

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Red Yucca

Hesperaloe parviflora

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Century Plant

Agave parryi

Texas Prehistoric

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club

Texas Horned Lizard

Phrynosoma cornutum

Texas state reptile

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Nine-Banded Armadillo

Dasypus novemcinctus

Texas state small mammal

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Common Green Darner Dragonfly

Anax junius

Dragonflies have roamed earth for 300 million years

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Wood Fern

Thelypteris kunthii

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Yellow Pond Lily

Nuphar lutea

Pond lilies appeared in the Cenozoic era

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Pinyon Pine

Pinus edulis

Pines appeared in the Mesozoic era

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Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum capillus-veneris

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Flower Of Stone

Selaginella lepidophylla

Spike moss appeared in the Paleozoic era