I need fun FACTS about the state of Texas?

My 1st grader is doing a project about the state. we know the bird the tree, the flower, t he capital.......... In a chat room someone told me armadillo love to dig holes in the flower bedding so 1 down 9 to go!

I need fun FACTS about the state of Texas?
Texas is called the Lone Star State because of the design of the state flag; a broad vertical blue stripe at left, centered by a single white star, with horizontal bars of white and red on the right. The red means courage, the white means liberty and the blue stands for loyalty. The star has five points, one for each letter of the state's name. The word "Texas" comes from the Hasinai Indian word "Tejas" which means "friends" or "allies"





Pledge of the Texas flag.


"Honor the Texas Flag. I pledge allegiance to thee. Texas, one and indivisible."








they have 2 baseball teams, 2 pro football teams, and 2 nba basketball teams. in 2006 texas univ. won the national title...Population: 22,100,000 (US Census Bureau, 2003 estimate)


Motto: Friendship


Nickname: Lone Star State


Time Zones: Central and Mountain


Coastline: 624 miles long


Land Area: 262,017 Square Miles


Elevation: 0-8749 Ft.


(Highest point, Guadalupe Peak)


Texas Counties: 254


Population: 22,100,000 (US Census Bureau, 2003 estimate)


Motto: Friendship


Nickname: Lone Star State


Time Zones: Central and Mountain


State Symbols:


Flower: Bluebonnet


Bird: Mockingbird


Tree: Pecan


Air Force: The Confederate Air Force, based in Midland at the Midland International Airport, was proclaimed the state air force of Texas by the 71st Legislature in 1989.


Song: "Texas Our Texas" (The music was written by the late William J. Marsh and the works by Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright, both of Fort Worth. It was adopted in 1929).


Animals


Reptile: Texas Horned Lizard


Mammal: Armadillo, Longhorn, Mexican Free-Tailed Bat


Fish: Guadalupe Bass


Insect: Monarch Butterfly


Seashell: Lightning Whelk (Gulf Coast)


Dinosaur: Brachiosaur, Sauropod, Pleuracoelus Plants


Native Pepper: The Chiltepin


Vegetable: Texas Sweet Onion


Plant: Prickly Pear Cactus


Shrub: Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indicia)


Fruit: Texas Grapefruit


Grass: Sideoats Grama


Minerals


Stone: Petrified Palmwood


Gem: Blue Topaz Food and Cloths


Fiber and Fabric: Cotton


Dish: Chili


Entertainment and Music


Folk Dance: Square Dance


Sport: Rodeo


History:


Entered Union: December 29, 1845 (28th State)


Ship: Battleship Texas
Reply:Texas is the only Southern state, after Lee's surrender to Grant, to have a county secede from the state. Van Zandt County, a little east of Dallas, seceded from the State of Texas. There was a large dispute in the county, for and against. A raiding party went to old county seat, stole all the deed records, took them to Canton, which to this very day is the county seat. There never was a formal withdrawal of the secession.





This next one you may not want your 1st grader to hear but...Sam Houston, the 1st governor was quite the drunk. It was said that if you had serious business to discuss with him you had to get to him between noon and 2pm. He awoke at 10, drank hard to get over his hangover, and by noon would be ok. But by 2pm, he would start the slide into his drunkenness and the Texas government would shut down!
Reply:Texas is the only state that can have their state flag fly by itself because it once was it's own republic
Reply:If Alaska was cut precisely in half, Texas would be the third largest state.