Twenty-two years ago, Lady Bird Johnson and the late Helen Hayes founded the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (LBJWC) in Austin, Texas. Its mission: To educate people about the environmental necessity, economic value and natural beauty of native plants.

When asked what her reason is for promoting wildflowers, Mrs. Johnson often replies with a single word: joy. The former first lady exudes that emotion in this portrait.

©Courtesy Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

It was taken in the center's homeowner garden, an NWF-certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat site, against a backdrop of Carolina Jessamine flowers.

In 1999, NWF forged a partnership with LBJWC to educate America about the importance of native plants to people and wildlife. The two groups collaborated to create an extensive online database of natives that's searchable by plant type, color, region, bloom period, exposure and soil moisture.