Do You Know California's Official State Symbols?

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Do you know California's official state symbols?

Each state in America boasts its own culture, history, and natural beauty. To represent such diversity, people from these states have chosen their own set of symbols and customs. Specific flags, songs, mottos, flowers, and even fruits commemorate the uniqueness of individual states. Some of these symbols border on the bizarre: Texas, for example, has made the Dutch oven its official state cooking pot. Other symbols are more universal, like state birds.

Many people remember learning about their states' history back in elementary school. But can you still remember your state bird? How about your state flower? To test your state knowledge, Stacker compiled a list of symbols in California.

Clue: California state fish

Clue (freshwater): California is the Golden State, and the name of this fish incorporates both the state's proper name and its nickname. Once found only in a few cold streams on the Kern River, hatcheries have now dramatically expanded its range.

Clue (saltwater): This vibrant orange fish from the damselfish family was named after a 19th-century Italian military and political figure. These fish ply subtropical waters of the Pacific Ocean around the Central Coast of California down through Baja California.

Answer: California state fish

Answers: California golden trout (freshwater), Garibaldi (saltwater)

Clue: California state mammal

California has two officially designated mammals. The state marine mammal is a crustacean-eating animal that can grow 50 feet in length. The official state animal is a large mammal that’s so identified with the state that it’s got California in its name and appears on the state flag.

Answer: California state mammal

- State mammals: California grizzly bear, gray whale

Clue: California state song

It wasn’t a Californian, but a Canadian who wrote the Golden State’s official song. Immigrant Francis Silverwood penned the lyrics and composed the song with Orpheum Theater Orchestra director Abraham Frankenstein in 1913. Silverwood also opened Silverwood’s Clothing Store, which was long an iconic downtown Los Angeles shopping destination.

Answer: California state song

- Answer: "I Love You, California"

Clue: California state insect

This species is endemic to California. It is named for the pattern on its blue, orange, or yellow wings, each of which appears to vaguely resemble the profile of a poodle.

Answer: California state insect

- State butterfly: California dogface butterfly (Zerene eurydice)

Clue: California state tree

California has two state trees, both botanical giants from the same subfamily (meaning they are closely related on the evolutionary tree). The first grows in low elevation, rainy areas along the coast and can live for over a thousand years, while the second grows in higher elevations along the Sierra Nevada mountains and requires a longer trek from tourists.

Answer: California state tree

Answers: Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)

Clue: California state bird

This bird is a bit of a dandy, with a distinctive black plume on its forehead. The look befits the state famous for show business.

Answer: California state bird

Answer: California valley quail

Clue: California state flower

California may be a large state, but its state flower can be as small as 2 inches short. It can also be named the flame flower, la amapola, or copa de oro, the latter meaning “cup of gold.” Indigenous peoples in California found the flower to be an important resource, taking advantage of it for food and oil; the flower is also quite drought-resistant.