Do you know Louisiana's official state symbols?
Do you know Louisiana'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 Louisiana.
Clue: Louisiana state fish
Clue: Also known as the white crappie, male members of this species dig gravel nests where females then lay their eggs. This schooling fish can grow as large as 7 pounds, although most are much smaller.
Answer: Louisiana state fish
Answer: White perch
Clue: Louisiana state mammal
Louisiana has its own subspecies of this large mammal that's found throughout North America. These opportunistic omnivores eat whatever they can find—from seasonal fruits to human garbage—and can weigh more than 600 pounds.
Answer: Louisiana state mammal
- State mammal: Black bear
Clue: Louisiana state song
The first of Louisiana's two state songs was written and arranged by Doralice Fontane and Dr. John Croom, respectively, and adopted in 1970. The other was made official seven years later and was written by Charles Mitchell and Jimmie H. Davis, the latter of whom was a former governor. The state's official environmental song, a Frances LeBeau tune, was adopted in 1990.
Answer: Louisiana state song
- Answer:
--- Songs: "Give Me Louisiana," "You Are My Sunshine"
--- March: "Louisiana My Home Sweet Home"
--- Environmental song: "The Gifts of Earth"
Clue: Louisiana state insect
Karl von Frisch won the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for studying the communication methods of this species. This insect reproduces its habitat through swarming, in which it takes advantage of higher volumes of nectar and pollen from flowers in the spring and early summer to help it rapidly grows its population.
Answer: Louisiana state insect
- State insect: European honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Clue: Louisiana state tree
A fourth-grade class from Baton Rouge, La. chose their state’s tree in the early 1960s. The tree they chose is known throughout the state for its water resistance, and forests of this tree protect the state’s coastline from erosion. To help their petition to the state legislature, these fourth graders planted 10 trees on their school’s grounds; in 1963, their tree was officially sworn in.
Answer: Louisiana state tree
Answer: Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Clue: Louisiana state bird
Louisiana is particularly proud of its distinctive state bird, which is known for being generous with its young. This bird can be found on the state's flag, seal, and even in its official painting.
Answer: Louisiana state bird
Answer: Brown pelican
Clue: Louisiana state flower
With streets, school, buildings, and other places named after this flower, it is undoubtedly one of the most popular state flowers. It has enormous and showy waxy petals, with colors ranging from creamy white to pink. The oldest known ancestral plant, which existed 140 million years ago, resembled this flower.
Answer: Louisiana state flower
Answer: Magnolia
