Do you know Utah's official state symbols?
Do you know Utah'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 Utah.
Clue: Utah state fish
Clue: This fish was a critical food source for both Native Americans and the earliest settlers in what is now the rugged and wild state of Utah. Although it was believed to be extinct just a few decades ago, the fish is now making a rebound across the state.
Answer: Utah state fish
Answer: Bonneville cutthroat trout
Clue: Utah state mammal
Utah’s state mammal is one of the largest members of the deer family, with males as tall as 5 feet high at the shoulder. The males’ antlers drop off in the winter and grow back in the spring, at a rate of up to an inch a day.
Answer: Utah state mammal
- State mammal: Rocky Mountain elk
Clue: Utah state song
“Utah, We Love Thee” was the state’s official song until 2003. That year, lawmakers voted to change it to the current selection. Fourth graders from Cook Elementary School sang it to the state’s senators before they voted on the change.
Answer: Utah state song
- Answer:
--- State song: "Utah…This Is The Place"
--- Hymn: "Utah, We Love Thee"
Clue: Utah state insect
This species is victim to a long list of predators. Reptiles that prey on the insect include toads, bullfrogs, and wood frogs. Bird predators include hummingbirds, grackles, and tanagers, and mammal predators include bears, raccoons, skunks, and honey badgers. Additionally, many insects and spiders prey on the species too.
Answer: Utah state insect
- State insect: European honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Clue: Utah state tree
A grove of Utah’s state tree in Fishlake National Forest has been called the “single most massive living organism” discovered on Earth: a single root system connects 106 acres’ worth of trees that all share the same DNA, making them all a singular huge living thing. This grove is in danger because animals are eating the trees faster than they can regenerate, but scientists are hard at work on conserving this unique being.
Answer: Utah state tree
Answer: Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Clue: Utah state bird
This bird may seem like an odd choice of mascot for Utah. That is, until you learn the species saved the Utah's agriculture in 1848 by eating crickets that had decimated the state’s crops.
Answer: Utah state bird
Answer: California gull
Clue: Utah state flower
Established as Utah's state flower in 1911, this flower blooms early in the summer. It has historical significance to the state, with its soft and bulbous root collected and eaten in the 1840s as a plague of crickets devoured the state's crops. This flower flourishes in hot and dry conditions.
Answer: Utah state flower
Answer: Sego lily
