Do you know Mississippi's official state symbols?
Do you know Mississippi'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 Mississippi.
Clue: Mississippi state fish
Clue: This ravenous predator will eat invertebrates and other fish—including smaller members of its own kind. Able to grow longer than 20 inches, it’s a popular fish identified with several states in the region.
Answer: Mississippi state fish
Answer: Largemouth bass
Clue: Mississippi state mammal
Mississippi has three official mammals. Two are the white-tailed deer and the bottlenose dolphin. The third is a small carnivore that’s found over much of the world including Europe, Asia, and North America, and is a common character in fairy tales and folklore. They’re adaptable animals with a varied diet so although they’re not often seen, they commonly live among us in suburbs and cities.
Answer: Mississippi state mammal
- State mammals: White-tailed deer, red fox, bottlenose dolphin
Clue: Mississippi state song
The state of Mississippi adopted its official state song in 1962. William Houston Davis wrote the tune.
Answer: Mississippi state song
- Answer: "Go, Mississippi"
Clue: Mississippi state insect
State insect: When the young females of this species are about to enter adulthood, they battle each other until there is only one survivor, who then becomes the queen of her population. Though it is a popular belief that this insect dies after stinging a threat, this is often only true when mammals are stung.
State butterfly: This insect flies low and fast around forested, swampy areas. It can be identified by its black-brown wings, with a blue half-moon marking on the hindwings.
Answer: Mississippi state insect
- State insect: European honey bee (Apis mellifera)
- State butterfly: Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
Clue: Mississippi state tree
Carl Linnaeus himself (the father of taxonomy) named Mississippi’s state tree, giving the tree a Latin name to honor its massive, waxy flowers, which also make this tree popular as an ornamental throughout the Southeast and in other temperate areas. The tree is associated with the American south, and a flag bearing this tree served as the state’s flag from 1861 to 1894.
Answer: Mississippi state tree
Answer: Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Clue: Mississippi state bird
This local bird is drab in color but impossible to miss thanks to its constant, melodious calling. The species was so popular in the 1800s that many people kept them as pets, significantly driving down their numbers. The birds did repopulate, however, and can now be found as far away as Hawaii and Canada.
Answer: Mississippi state bird
Answer: Northern mockingbird
Clue: Mississippi state flower
With this flower being the namesake of Mississippi's nickname, it has long been admired by the state's citizens. In 1900, this flower beat out the cotton blossom and the cape jasmine in a vote from schoolchildren to become the official state flower. With a sweet perfume, this milky white flower has cup-like blooms and numerous petals.
