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 Oregon.
Clue: Also known as tyee, king, and spring, along with its common surname, this fish is the largest Pacific-dwelling kind among its species—although its life begins and ends in freshwater. Its vast range spans from Southern California to the Canadian Arctic.
Answer: Chinook salmon
Oregon’s state mammal is renowned for its ability to transform the landscape using its ever-growing rodent teeth to cut down trees that they use to build dams. These create ponds where the animals build their underwater lodges. They were once important to the economy of the state when they were hunted for their fur.
- State mammal: Beaver
John A. Buchanan wrote the words to the Oregon state song and Henry B. Murtagh wrote the music. It was officially adopted into law in 1927.
- Answer: "Oregon, My Oregon"
This species can be spotted between April and September. It has a yellow abdomen and orange-spotted wings, though earlier in the year the insect is lighter-colored than those that appear later in the year.
- State insect: Oregon swallowtail butterfly (Papilio oregonius)
You’ll find Oregon’s state tree across this Northwest state, but you’ll also find it in homes across the country come December as a Christmas tree. The tree’s common name commemorates a Scottish botanist who studied Oregon’s plants in the 1800s.
Answer: Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
This state, like many others, chose a humble bird for its official mascot. Oregon can lay claim as being one of the first states to officially do so, however: School children honored the species in 1927.
Answer: Western meadowlark
Also called the holly-leaved barberry, Oregon's official state flower is a shrub native to the Pacific coast. In the early summer, this flower bears dainty yellow flowers and ripens into a dark blueberry late in the fall. Tea made by steeping the plant's roots is believed to relieve a number of ailments.
