The state of New York keeps its capitol in centrally located Albany, but its crown jewel, New York City, is largely responsible for the state's nickname, "The Empire State." Many point to George Washington as the first who uttered the…
The state motto of Tennessee is “Agriculture and Commerce.” It is one of the most recent mottoes to be adopted by a state in the United States. Derived from an inscription on the Great Seal of the State of Tennessee,…
The state motto of Illinois is “State Sovereignty, National Union.” Although the phrase seems simple and straightforward, at the time of its adoption it had a very potent symbolic meaning for Illinois and for the US. Later, with the approach…
South Carolina has two official state flowers. The official state flower of South Carolina is the yellow jasmine, which was officially adopted on 1 February 1924 by the General Assembly of North Carolina. Before making the yellow jasmine the state…
The blooms of the yucca plant were named the flower of New Mexico in 1927 after requests from women’s clubs and suggestions from the state’s school children. New Mexico lawmakers did not specify which of the 40 or 50 species…
The state flower of Michigan is the apple blossom. The Latin name for the plant is the pyrus coronaria and it is also known as the “sweet crabapple.” The plant was formally adopted in 1897 and is well known for…
The state flower of Maine is the only state floral emblem that is actually not a flower. It is the cone and tassel of the eastern white pine tree. “Tassel” refers to a cluster of needles growing on the same…
During the 1926-27 school year, the Federated Women’s Clubs of Wisconsin surveyed the children attending the state’s schools and asked them to vote for the state bird of Wisconsin. Overwhelmingly, the children named the robin as the most popular bird;…
The state bird of Utah is the California gull, whose scientific name is Larus californicus. It is a migratory gull of average size, up to 21 inches (54 cm) long with a wingspan of 51 inches (130 cm). This bird…
The state bird of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Red, is a successful farm chicken. This bird is very hardy and is able to produce 200 to 300 eggs per bird in a calendar year. They also start laying eggs…