Do you know Maryland's official state symbols?
Do you know Maryland'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 Maryland.
Clue: Maryland state fish
Clue: This fish is known as much for the fight it gives anglers as it is for its trademark silver and iridescent stripes. They can live as long as 30 years.
Answer: Maryland state fish
Answer: Striped Bass
Clue: Maryland state mammal
Maryland’s state mammal is unusual in that it’s not a specific species or breed, but rather a coat color. This coat pattern is seen almost solely in females of this common type of pet, and it consists of distinct patches of white, orange, and black, similar to the coloration of the state’s official bird and butterfly.
Answer: Maryland state mammal
- State mammal: Calico cat
Clue: Maryland state song
Maryland's state song, the same one Confederate prison guards used to antagonize S.H.M. Byers during his captivity in the Civil War, comes from a nine-stanza poem. James Ryder Randall penned the words in April 1861, when he heard that Union troops were marching through Baltimore.
Answer: Maryland state song
- Answer: "Maryland, My Maryland"
Clue: Maryland state insect
This insect was named for the first Lord Baltimore, as its natural colors mirror those in the Baltimore family crest. Today, its population has diminished greatly, and it is on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ rare, threatened, and endangered species list.
Answer: Maryland state insect
- State insect: Baltimore checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton)
Clue: Maryland state tree
You might recognize Maryland’s state tree—not only from two other state trees in this story, but also from the tree’s distinctive broad stature and glossy, bright green leaves. A single tree of this species might produce 10,000 acorns in a year which are a popular food for over 80 bird and mammal species, including humans: Both Native Americans and early settlers made flour from these acorns.
Answer: Maryland state tree
Answer: White oak (Quercus alba)
Clue: Maryland state bird
This flashy-colored bird builds nests that hang from tree branches. Marylanders love the species so much, it doubles as the namesake for the state's professional baseball team.
Answer: Maryland state bird
Answer: Baltimore oriole
Clue: Maryland state flower
Established as the state's official flower in 1918, these flowers are found all over Maryland's fields and roadsides, with its colors matching the state's flag, and even the state's insect and cat. With 13 yellow petals and a dark center, this wildflower grows in dry places. Traditionally, the root is used to treat colds.
