UT keeping maroon bluebonnets blamed on Aggies

Speculation grew about some Aggie-maroon bluebonnets blooming near the University of Texas Tower. Speculation grew about some Aggie-maroon bluebonnets blooming near the University of Texas Tower. Photo: Dborah Cannon Photo: Dborah Cannon Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close UT keeping maroon bluebonnets blamed on Aggies 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN — Maroon bluebonnets will be allowed to remain on the University of Texas campus in Austin after mysteriously appearing in the shadow of the UT Tower.

It's believed that Texas A&M pranksters at some point planted the seeds for a variant of bluebonnet known as Alamo Fire, which is a shade of maroon. The Texas A&M colors are maroon and white, which Longhorn fans find unsightly in light of their loyalty to burnt orange.

A UT official had promised to remove the off-color lupine in an interview earlier this week. However, UT issued a statement Thursday to say the not-so-bluebonnets are safe. In the words of the statement, "UT Austin has no immediate or official plans to pull up the Aggie-colored wildflowers."