Do you know Pennsylvania's official state symbols?
Do you know Pennsylvania'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 Pennsylvania.
Clue: Pennsylvania state fish
Clue: Pennsylvania's waters are teeming with this fish and several of its cousins, which prowl the state's rivers, streams, brooks, and even the ocean-like habitat of Lake Erie on Pennsylvania's northwest border. For those looking to catch one, head to water that is pure, cold, and clean.
Answer: Pennsylvania state fish
Answer: Brook trout
Clue: Pennsylvania state mammal
This official mammal often bears twins or triplets and it’s estimated that its population in the state is now more than three times what it was before Europeans settled in North America and killed off most of its predators. Human hunters are now this creature’s biggest predator.
Answer: Pennsylvania state mammal
- State mammal: White-tailed deer
Clue: Pennsylvania state song
The official song of Pennsylvania was made official only in 1990. It shares a title with an unrelated Bloodhound Gang song of the same name.
Answer: Pennsylvania state song
- Answer: "Pennsylvania"
Clue: Pennsylvania state insect
This insect can be identified by its primarily black color, marked with red dots and yellow stripes along its body and wings. It was made the state insect of Pennsylvania in 1974 after students from Highland Park Elementary School wrote letters and gathered petition signatures to campaign for it.
Answer: Pennsylvania state insect
- State insect: Pennsylvania firefly (Photuris pennsylvanica)
Clue: Pennsylvania state tree
Pennsylvania’s state tree honors its contributions to the state economy: At the height of the lumber industry in the 1890s, the state’s forests delivered more than a billion feet of lumber from this tree every year. Today, the tree is still used for railroad ties, barn siding, and more; its lumber is notable for being resistant to rot.
Answer: Pennsylvania state tree
Answer: Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
Clue: Pennsylvania state bird
Also called a partridge, this hearty and territorial bird can survive in severe winters. You can usually spot it where snow is common in the colder months, outlasting its weaker turkey and quail relatives. You can also hear the bird clearly during mating season: Males flap their wings together to create a thumping sound that is not unlike the hum of an engine starting up.
Answer: Pennsylvania state bird
Answer: Ruffed grouse
Clue: Pennsylvania state flower
This light pink flower can be found across the large state of Pennsylvania, from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. An evergreen shrub related to the rhododendron, this flower is an import from Europe, originally used as an ornamental plant. In the 1930s, the flower was chosen to be the state's flower over the pink azalea.
Answer: Pennsylvania state flower
Answer: Mountain laurel
