Yucca Flower; New Mexico State Flower

Apart of Erica Catherine's US State Flower Collection, the Yucca Plant represents the State of New Mexico. The Yucca plant is shown on top of a brown color background.

The Yucca plant was adopted as the state flower of New Mexico in 1927. When named the state flower, lawmakers did not specify a specific species of Yucca plant allowing for all 40+ species of Yucca to be the claimant to the title of the State flower. While there are a lot of different varieties of the Yucca plant all of them share tough spiky leaves that form in a start shape from the center of the plant. In late spring to early summer, large stalks of white flowers spring forth from the Yucca plant. The bright white blooms help to attract their only pollinator the Yucca Moth. the moths roll the pollen into a ball and into the stigma of a different Yucca plant. During this pollination they also create a new home for their own eggs inside the flower. There they can emerge from the eggs and be protected by the Yucca flower. Under the bright moon in the desert, these plants seem to light up, earning their nickname lamparas de dios or "lamps of the lord."

Inspired by the natural and antique details that call to Erica's Old soul, she aims to bring that special spirit to all of her designs. Each drawing is created by hand using a mixture of graphite drawing with watercolor layering over the top to create the ethereal and vintage inspired work that harks back to turn of the century botanical illustration.