Capitol Mall Sculpted State Symbols

Sculpted State Symbols Gallery

This gallery features six sculptures based on Texas symbols located on the Capitol Mall, along with educational details about each representation.

Lars Stanley of Austin and Dylan Conner of Houston were the two artists tasked with creating these metallic masterpieces. Both creators have extensive and unique backgrounds that include welding and metal fabrication. Each artist created three sculptures based on Texas symbols. For a list of all Texas State Symbols, please visit: TSL.texas.gov

Bluebonnet metal sculpture with detailed petals and leaves.

Bluebonnet

State Flower / Fabricated by Lars Stanley

The Texas Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis) is distinguished by its larger, more sharply pointed leaves and more numerous flower heads compared to similar lupines. Its light-green, velvety, palmately compound leaves, usually consisting of five leaflets, grow from branching stems that range from 6 to 18 inches in height. These stems are adorned with clusters of up to 50 fragrant, blue, pea-like flowers, with the tip of each cluster being conspicuously white.

This species is commonly planted by highway departments and garden clubs and is one of the six Lupinus species collectively designated as the State Flower of Texas.

Learn More: LBJ WC - Texas Bluebonnet

Spikey stainless steel sculpture of the Texas Horned Lizard.

Texas Horned Lizard

State Reptile / Fabricated by Dylan Conner

Many Texans call the state reptile a horny toad, but it is actually a horned lizard. Named the state reptile in 1993, the small, spiny creatures are renowned for their tough-guy appearance and startling defense strategies, which include squirting blood from their eyes and puffing up their bodies to twice the normal size.

Learn More: TPWD - Horned Lizard

Metal sculpture of a flying Mexican Free-Tailed Bat on a tall stand.

Mexican Free-Tailed Bat

State Flying Mammal / Fabricated by Lars Stanley

Also called the Brazilian free-tailed bat, Mexican free-tailed bats are relatively small, averaging around 12 grams. Their tails extend beyond the uropatagium (tail membrane), giving them their common name. They have short, dense fur, large rounded ears and wrinkly upper lips.

Below is a video by The Nature Conservancy about the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat at Bracken Cave in San Antonio.

Learn More: Bat Conservation International

Stainless steel sculpture of the Prickly Pear Cactus.

Prickly Pear Cactus

State Plant / Fabricated by Dylan Conner

The Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia Phaeacantha) is the official state plant of Texas. This distinctive cactus is known for its flat, paddle-like segments, which are covered in spines and small, hair-like prickles called glochids.

The Prickly Pear Cactus thrives in arid and semi-arid environments, making it well-suited to the diverse climates of Texas.

Learn More: LBJ WC - Prickly Pear Cactus

Metal sculpture of a Nine-Banded Armadillo sitting upright.

Nine-Banded Armadillo

State Small Mammal / Fabricated by Lars Stanley

The Nine-banded Armadillo, the official state small mammal of Texas, is a cat-sized, armored, insect-eating mammal similar in form to an anteater. Its bony, scaled shell protects it from predators. This versatile creature inhabits various environments across Texas, including brush, woods, scrub, and grasslands, though it is absent from the western Trans-Pecos region.

Learn More: TPWD - Armadillo

Stainless steel sculpture of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle swimming.

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

State Sea Turtle / Fabricated by Dylan Conner

The Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle is the official state sea turtle of Texas. These turtles are the smallest and most critically endangered sea turtle species in the world, with adults measuring about 2 feet in length and weighing between 70-100 pounds. In Texas, they are found in the nearshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as in bays and passes, where they primarily feed on crabs, but also consume fish, sea jellies, and mollusks.

Learn More: TPWD - Sea Turtle