State Emblems, Nicknames, Mottos, and Songs
STATE EMBLEMS, NICKNAMES, MOTTOS, AND SONGS
STATE EMBLEMS, NICKNAMES, MOTTOS, AND SONGS must be adopted officially by action of the legislative bodies of the respective states to which they belong before one properly may designate them as such. The table on pages 532–533 lists the state birds, flowers, trees, nicknames, mottos, and songs, although some states have also adopted state gems, state animals, state fish, and so on. Translations of state mottos in languages other than English (Latin, French, Italian, Greak, Spanish, and, in the instance of Washington, Chinook) are also given.
Table 1
| State Emblems, Nicknames, Mottos, and Songs | ||||||
| State | Bird | Flower | Tree | Nickname(s) | Motto | Song |
| Alabama | Yellowhammer | Camellia | Southern pine | Cotton State; Heart of Dixie; Yellow-hammer State | Audemus jura nostra defendere ("We dare defend our rights") | Alabama |
| Alaska | Willow ptarmigan | Forget-me-not | Sitka spruce | Land of the Midnight Sun; The Last Frontier | North to the Future (unofficial) | Alaska's Flag |
| Arizona | Cactus wren | Saguaro cactus | Paloverde | Grand Canyon State | Ditat Deus ("God enriches") | Arizona |
| Arkansas | Mockingbird | Apple blossom | Short-leaf pine | Land of Opportunity; The Natural State | Regnat populus ("The people rule") | Arkansas |
| California | Valley quail | Golden poppy | Redwood | Golden State | Eureka ("I have found it") | I Love You, California |
| Colorado | Lark bunting | Columbine | Blue spruce | Centennial State | Nil sine numine ("Nothing without Providence") | Where the Columbines Grow |
| Connecticut | American robin | Mountain laurel | White oak | Constitution State; Nutmeg State | Qui transtulit sustinet ("He who transplanted still sustains") | (none) |
| Delaware | Blue hen chicken | Peach blossom | American holly | Diamond State; First State | Liberty and Independence | Our Delaware |
| Florida | Mockingbird | Orange blossom | Sabal palm | Sunshine State; Peninsula State | In God We Trust | The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home) |
| Georgia | Brown thrasher | Cherokee rose | Live oak | Empire State of the South; Peach State | Wisdom, Justice, Moderation | Georgia on My Mind |
| Hawaii | Hawaiian goose (nene) | Hibiscus (Pua Aloalo) | Candlenut (Kukui) | Aloha State; Paradise of the Pacific | Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness") | Hawaii Ponoi |
| Idaho | Mountain bluebird | Syringa | White pine | Gem State | Esto perpetua ("May she endure forever") | Here We Have Idaho |
| Illinois | Cardinal | Butterfly violet | White oak | Prairie State | State Sovereignty, National Union | Illinois |
| Indiana | Cardinal | Peony | Tulip tree | Hoosier State | Crossroads of America | On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away |
| Iowa | Eastern goldfinch | Carolina wild rose | Oak | Hawkeye State | Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain | The Song of Iowa |
| Kansas | Western meadowlark | Sunflower | Cottonwood | Jayhawker State; Sunflower State | Ad astra per aspera ("To the stars through difficulties") | Home on the Range |
| Kentucky | Cardinal | Goldenrod | Tulip poplar | Bluegrass State | United We Stand, Divided We Fall | My Old Kentucky Home |
| Louisiana | Pelican | Magnolia | Bald cypress | Creole State; Pelican State | Union, Justice, and Confidence | Give Me Louisiana; You Are My Sunshine |
| Maine | Chickadee | Pine cone and tassel | White pine | Lumber State; Pine Tree State | Dirigo ("I lead") | State of Maine Song |
| Maryland | Baltimore oriole | Black-eyed Susan | White oak | Old Line State | Fatti maschii, parole femine ("Manly deeds, womanly words") | Maryland, My Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Chickadee | Mayflower | American elm | Bay State; Old Bay State; Old Colony State | Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem ("By the sword she seeks peace under liberty") | Massachusetts |
| Michigan | Robin | Apple blossom | White pine | Wolverine State | Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice ("If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you") | Michigan, My Michigan (unofficial) |
| Minnesota | Loon | Pink and white lady's slipper | Red or Norway pine | Gopher State; North Star State | L'Etoile du Nord ("The North Star") | Hail! Minnesota |
| Mississippi | Mockingbird | Magnolia | Magnolia | Magnolia State | Virtute et armis ("By Valor and Arms") | Go, Mississippi |
| Missouri | Bluebird | Hawthorn | Dogwood | Show Me State | Sclus populi suprema lex esto ("Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law") | Missouri Waltz |
| Montana | Western meadowlark | Bitterroot | Ponderosa pine | Treasure State | Oro y plata ("Gold and silver") | Montana |
| [continued] | ||||||
Table 1
| State Emblems, Nicknames, Mottos, and Songs | ||||||
| State | Bird | Flower | Tree | Nickname(s) | Motto | Song |
| Nebraska | Western meadowlark | Goldenrod | Cottonwood | Cornhusker State | Equality Before the Law | Beautiful Nebraska |
| Nevada | Mountain bluebird | Sagebrush | Single-leaf pinon; Bristlecone pine | Sagebrush State; Silver State | All For Our Country | Home Means Nevada |
| New Hampshire | Purple finch | Purple lilac | White birch | Granite State | Live Free or Die | Old New Hampshire |
| New Jersey | Eastern goldfinch | Purple violet | Red oak | Garden State | Liberty and Prosperity | (none) |
| New Mexico | Roadrunner | Yucca | Pinon (nut pine) | Land of Enchantment; Sunshine State | Crescit eundo ("It grows as it goes") | O Fair New Mexico |
| New York | Eastern bluebird | Rose | Sugar maple | Empire State | Excelsior ("Ever upward") | (none) |
| North Carolina | Cardinal | Dogwood | Pine | Old North State; Tar Heel State | Esse quam videri ("To be, rather than to seem") | The Old North State |
| North Dakota | Western meadowlark | Prairie rose | American elm | Flickertail State; Sioux State | Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable | North Dakota Hymn |
| Ohio | Cardinal | Scarlet carnation | Buckeye | Buckeye State | With God All Things Are Possible | Beautiful Ohio |
| Oklahoma | Scissor-tailed flycatcher | Mistletoe | Redbud | Sooner State | Labor omnia vincit ("Labor conquers all things") | Oklahoma! |
| Oregon | Western meadowlark | Oregon grape | Douglas fir | Beaver State | She Flies With Her Own Wings | Oregon, My Oregon |
| Pennsylvania | Ruffed grouse | Mountain laurel | Eastern hemlock | Keystone State | Virtue, Liberty, and Independence | (none) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island red | Violet | Red maple | Little Rhody | Hope | Rhode Island's It for Me |
| South Carolina | Carolina wren | Carolina jessamine | Palmetto | Palmetto State | Animis opibusque parati ("Prepared in mind and resources") and Dum spiro spero ("While I breathe, I hope") | Carolina |
| South Dakota | Ring-necked pheasant | Pasqueflower | Black Hills spruce | Coyote State; Sunshine State | Under God the People Rule | Hail, South Dakota |
| Tennessee | Mockingbird | Iris | Tulip poplar | Volunteer State | Agriculture and Commerce | Tennessee Waltz |
| Texas | Mockingbird | Bluebonnet | Pecan | Lone Star State | Friendship | Texas, Our Texas |
| Utah | Sea gull | Sego lily | Blue spruce | Beehive State | Industry | Utah, We Love Thee |
| Vermont | Hermit thrush | Red clover | Sugar maple | Green Mountain State | Freedom and Unity | Hail, Vermont |
| Virginia | Cardinal | American | American | Old Dominion | Sic semper tyrannis ("Thus | Carry Me Back to Old |
| dogwood | dogwood | always to tyrants") | Virginia | |||
| Washington | Willow goldfinch | Rhododendron | Western hemlock | Evergreen State; Chinook State | Al-ki ("By and by") | Washington, My Home |
| West Virginia | Cardinal | Rosebay rhododendron | Sugar maple | Mountain State | Montani semper liberi ("Mountaineers are always free men") | The West Virginia Hills and West Virginia, My Home, Sweet Home |
| Wisconsin | Robin | Butterfly violet | Sugar maple | Badger State | Forward | On, Wisconsin! |
| Wyoming | Western meadowlark | Indian paintbrush | Cottonwood | Equality State | Equal Rights | Wyoming |
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State Emblems, Nicknames, Mottos, and Songs