State Bird, Flower and Quarter

The Blue Hen Chicken was adopted as the Delaware state bird on 4/4/1939. The bird has a long history as a symbol in Delaware. It dates back to the Revolutionary War, where Delaware troops took the chickens with them and used them in cockfighting matches when the troops needed amusement. When the Delaware men fought so valiantly during the war, they were compared to the tough bird.

The Peach Blossom was chosen as the state floral emblem on 5/9/1895 after a petition drive to prevent the Goldenrod as being chosen. Delaware was known as the Peach State for many years early in its history and unofficially the Peach Blossom was considered the state flower. It officially became the state flower in 1953.

The Delaware state quarter depicts Cesar Rodney, who in 1776, made a rapid trip to Philadelphia to cast the deciding vote for the Delaware delegation for independence from Britain.

The Ruffed Grouse is actually Pennsylvania's official state gamebird and not the official state bird. Pennsylvania has not chosen a state bird. The legislature designation for the Ruffed Grouse was done on 6/23/1931.

In 1927, a bill was submitted to the Pennsylvania legislature to have the flower of the tulip tree as the official state flower and the tulip tree as the state tree. But the legislation for this action was not passed. In 1931, the Eastern Hemlock was chosen as the state tree, but again no action was taken for a state flower. In 1933, the Pennsylvania legislature was at an impasse in a choice of a state flower between the Mountain Laurel and the Pink Azalea. Bills were passed in both the Legislature and the Senate designating each as the state flower so that the Governor could decide which one would be the state flower. The Governor was leaning toward the Pink Azalea, but decided let his wife make the decision. So on 5/5/1933, the Governor signed the bill making the Mountain Laurel the official state flower of Pennsylvania.

The state quarter refers to the Pennsylvania nickname as the Keystone State. The image is a statue that has sat on the top of the Capital Dome in Harrisburg, PA since 1905. The hand holding the staff represents justice while the open hand represents friendship.

The Eastern Goldfinch was adopted as the official state bird by an act of legislation on 6/27/1935.

The Violet was designated the official state flower on 2/16/1971.

The state quarter depicts the scene from Emmanuel Leutze's 1851 painting, "Washington Crossing the Delaware".

In 1928, school children picked the Brown Thrasher as the state bird of Georgia. No legislation was passed making the designation official. On 4/6/1935, the Governor of Georgia declared the Brown Thrasher as the state bird. Thirty-five years later, at the urging of the Garden Clubs of Georgia, a resolution on 3/20/1970 was passed by the Georgia General Assembly making the Brown Thrasher the official state bird of Georgia.

On 8/18/1916, with the support of the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs, the resolution was passed designating the Cherokee Rose as the official state flower.

On the state quarter a Georgia peach is shown against the outline of the state of Georgia along with the state motto: wisdom, justice, moderation.

In 1943, the Connecticut Legislature approved the Robin as the official state bird over the Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

4/17/1907 was the date when the Mountain Laurel was declared to be the official Connecticut state flower.

The state quarter depicts Samuel Wylly's oak tree, known as "The Charter Oak".

In 1931, The Executive Board of the State Federation of Woman=s Clubs picked the Veery (a thrush) for the Massachusetts state bird. A bill was introduced, but the legislature did not approve the bill. Ten years later, the issue of a state bird was taken up again and on 3/21/1941 the Chickadee was chosen as the official state bird.

The Mayflower, an endangered species since 1925, was suggested for the state floral emblem as far back as 1893. In 1900 and 1901, bills were introduced to choose the Mayflower as the state flower, but neither bill was approved. In 1905 a bill for the Mountain Laurel was defeated. A third bill in support of the Mayflower was introduced, but a competing bill pushing the Water Lily was also introduced. The decision was passed to the Department of Agriculture, who then passed it to the State Board of Education who decided that a statewide vote from school children would make the final determination. The Mayflower got more than twice as many votes as the Walter Lily. So on 5/1/1918, the Mayflower became the official state flower of Massachusetts.

The state quarter features the "Minuteman" in front of the Massachusetts state outline. Again, Massachusetts left it up to the children of the state to determine the final design of the quarter

The Baltimore Oriole was chosen as the state bird in 1947.

In 1896, a group of women at the Maryland Agricultural College thought that the Black-eyed Susan should be the state flower. Its colors, black and gold, reflected the colors that Lord Baltimore used in his coat of arms. There was much opposition to the Black-eyed Susan. It was not native to Maryland and was considered by some to be a common weed. But supporters prevailed and on 4/18/1918, the Black-eyed Susan was officially adopted. (It turned out to be a good choice, the colors match the state bird, cat, insect and flag.)

The state quarter feature the dome of the Maryland Statehouse, built in 1772. It is the largest wooden dome in the country built without nails and the oldest state capital building still being used by a legislature.

In 1930, the South Carolina Federated Woman=s Club adopted the Carolina Wren as their state bird over the Carolina Dove. The Carolina Wren represented the state as its unofficial state bird until 1939. In a rare move, not following the lead of the Woman's Clubs, the South Carolina Legislature approved the Mockingbird as the state bird. In 1948, the legislature again looked at the issue of the state bird. It repealed the 1939 act for the mockingbird and approved an act making the Carolina Wren the official state bird.

In 1906, the United Daughters of the Confederacy adopted the Yellow Jessamine as its official emblem. In 1923 the South Carolina General Assembly put a commission together to recommend a state flower. A year later the legislature got the report and passed the act for the Yellow Jessamine on 2/1/1924.

The state quarter is an ad for South Carolina. It features the state outline with a star representing the capital city of Columbia and the state bird, the state tree (Sabal Palmetto) with the state nickname.

In 1927, the New Hampshire Federation of Woman=s Clubs voted the purple Finch as the state bird. On 2/12/1957, the New Hampshire Legislature passed legislation for the Purple Finch to be adopted as the official state bird.

On 5/28/1919, the Purple Lilac was chosen as the state flower over the Apple Blossom, Purple Aster, Wood Lily, Mayflower, Goldenrod, Wild Pasture Rose, Evening Primrose and the Buttercup.

The state quarter depicts the natural rock formation named "The Old Man of the Mountain" found on Mt. Cannon in Franconia Notch, NH.

The Cardinal was adopted as the Virginia state bird on 1/25/1950.

Supported by the Garden Club of Virginia and the Garden Club of Norfolk, the American Dogwood was adopted as the state flower on 3/6/1918 over the Virginia Creeper.

The state quarter features the founding of Jamestown, VA. It was the first permanent English settlement in America.

In the early 1920's, the Robin was initially chosen as the New York state bird. But a campaign by the New York Federated Woman's Club in 1927 determined that the Bluebird was more popular. It took forty years for New York to officially adopt the Bluebird as the state bird on 5/18/1970.

In 1890, there was a vote by school children on what should be the state flower. The Goldenrod came in first and the Rose came in second with the Daisy as number three. A year later a vote was taken between the Rose and Goldenrod. This time the Rose defeated Goldenrod. No action was taken by the New York legislature for decades until the Rose was officially designated the official state flower on 4/20/1955.

The state quarter features the Statue of Liberty over an outline of New York state. The lines in the state represents the Hudson River and the Erie Canal.

The Cardinal was adopted as the state bird on 3/4/1943.

National Geographic Magazine listed the Daisy as North Carolina's state flower in the April issue of 1917. But in the July 1936 issue of Flower Grower Magazine listed the Oxeye Daisy as the state flower. A bill sponsoring the Daisy was defeated. The Goldenrod was also popular and some thought of it as the state flower. But the end of the 1930's, a movement was begun to get North Carolina an official state flower. The Daisy, Dogwood, Flame Azalea, Goldenrod, Venus Flytrap and the Pine Cone were all considered. Because of its abundance throughout the state, the Dogwood beat out the Flame Azalea and was adopted as the official state flower of North Carolina.

The state quarter depicts the Wrights Brothers flight at Kitty Hawk, NC on 12/17/1903.

In 1931, the Rhode Island Federated Woman's Clubs, supported by the Audubon Society, sponsored a contest with voting on the following choices for the state bird; Catbird, Osprey, Flicker, Song Sparrow, Bobwhite Quail and the Tree Swallow. The top vote getter was the Bobwhite Quail. The Bobwhite Quail and the Osprey were proposed to the legislature, but neither were adopted. In 1954, another statewide contest was sponsored. The choices were the Bobwhite Quail, Osprey, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Towhee and the Rhode Island Red chicken. At this time it was the 100th anniversary of the Rhode Island Red and it was supported by many organizations in the agricultural and poultry industries. Two state bird bills were introduced: one for the Rhode Island Red and the other for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The Rhode Island Red was voted as the state bird on 5/3/1954.

In 1897, the Rhode Island School Commissioner organized a vote among school children for a state flower. The Violet came in first among the ten choices that were on the ballot. Nothing was done for seventy years. In 1967 a bill to adopt the Violet was introduced because it was realized that Rhode Island was the only state without an official state flower. The Violet was officially adopted as 3/11/1968.

The state quarter shows a sailboat moving through Narragansett Bay with the Pell Bridge in the background.

In 1927, the Vermont Federated Woman's Clubs adopted the Hermit Thrush as their state bird. Since the Hermit Thrush is a migratory bird, some legislatures preferred a year-round stayer in Vermont such as the Blue Jay or Crow. But the legislature approved the hermit Thrush as the official state bird on 6/1/1941.

On 11/9/1894, the legislature approved the Red Clover as the state flower. It won a vote over the Daisy, Trailing Arbutus, Mayflower, Buttercup and the Posy.

The state quarter depicts a man tending to his sap bucket with Camel's Hump Mountain in the background.

The Cardinal was approved as the official state bird on 2/26/1926.

Early in the 20th century, Bluegrass and the Trumpet Vine were the unofficial floral emblems of Kentucky. The Trumpet Vine was a favorite of many because the US War Department used the Trumpet Vine as a symbol for the Kentucky militia. In 1921, the Kentucky Federation of Woman's Clubs started a push for Goldenrod. It was pointed out that Goldenrod was on the Kentucky state flag. The War Department wanted to keep the Trumpet Vine, but they couldn't prevent the Goldenrod from being chosen. 3/16/1926 was when the Goldenrod was adopted. Attempts were made in the following years to replace Goldenrod first with Bluegrass, then Dogwood and then the Redbud. In 1953, the House approved replacing Goldenrod with the Redbud, but if didn't pass in the Kentucky Senate.

The state quarter features Bardstown Mansion, Federal Hill, KY. This mansion is commonly referred to as "My Old Kentucky Home". In the foreground is an image of a thoroughbred racehorse, the official horse of Kentucky.

In 1933, the Tennessee Ornithological Society started a statewide campaign of bird education in conjuncture with a vote to adopt a state bird. More than 70,000 people voted where the Mockingbird edged out the Robin. On 4/19/1933, the Mockingbird was made the official state bird of Tennessee.

On 1/13/1919, from a statewide vote of school children, the legislature declared the Passionflower as the state flower. In the early 1930's, gardening was becoming a major hobby and many garden clubs focused on the Iris. This lead to a dissatisfaction with the Passionflower as the state flower. The Iris supporters claimed that the Passionflower was never officially adopted and the legislature agreed; so on 4/19/1933 the Iris was adopted as the state flower. But now Tennessee had two official state flowers and this caused an uproar from garden clubs, botanists and newspapers. The argument continued through the decade, but as time went on the Passionflower was considered old history and the Iris became the de facto state flower. In 1973, the issue was raised again and the legislature resolved the problem by stating that the Passionflower is the state wildflower and the Iris is the state-cultivated flower.

The state quarter represents the musical heritage of Tennessee. The trumpet represents the jazz and blues contribution (Memphis area), the guitar represents country music (Nashville area) and the fiddle represents the folk music (Appalachia area).

The Cardinal was adopted as the state bird by the General Assembly on 3/2/1933.

The Scarlet Carnation was approved as the state flower on 2/3/1903 to honor President William McKinley who was assassinated in 1901 and was a native son of Ohio. McKinley liked to wear red carnations on the lapel of his jacket and wore them on his various election campaigns.

The state quarter represents Oho's contributions to aviation. In the foreground of the state outline is the Wright Brothers 1905 Flyer III. The astronaut represents that the first man to orbit the Earth and the first man on the moon came from Ohio.

In 1902, the Pelican was put into the official state seal and in 1912, the Pelican was put into the state flag. In 1958, the Pelican was made the official state bird of Louisiana. The act was amended on 7/26/1966 specifying that the Brown Pelican is the state bird.

The flower of the Magnolia tree was designated the state flower by the legislature on 7/12/1900. But in the 1940's, a move was made to replace the magnolia with the Iris. They debated the issue during the decade but the Magnolia held onto its title as the state flower.

The state quarter depicts the story of Louisiana. The pelican is featured. The trumpet with the musical notes represents th musical heritage of Louisiana. The outline of the USA. With the Louisiana Purchase highlighted, show how much of the country was part of that purchase.

The Cardinal was adopted as the Indiana state bird on 3/2/1933.

A Concurrent Resolution in 1913 made the Carnation the state flower. The General Assembly, in 1923, substituted the Blossom of the Tulip Tree for the Carnation. In 1931, the state flower was changed again, this time to the Zinnia. In 1957, the General Assembly took up the issue again and on 3/15/1957, the Peony was adopted over the Dogwood to become the Indiana state flower.

The state quarter is centered around an Indy race car to bring attention to the Indianapolis 500 race. There are 19 stars, indicating that Indiana was the 19th state to join the union.

The Mockingbird was chosen unanimously by the House and Senate of Mississippi on 2/23/1944.

The idea for a state flower began in 1900. A vote among school children was proposed and an election happened in 11/1900. The Magnolia Blossom overwhelmingly was the winner over the Cotton Blossom and the Cape Jasmine. No legislative action was taken, but the Magnolia was considered the state flower. In 1938, the state again ran an election with school children to pick a state tree, again, the Magnolia won and the state make that official. But no action was done on an official state flower. Then on 2/26/1952, the Magnolia was adopted as the state flower by the legislature.

The state quarter features the blossom of the Magnolia Tree.

The school children of Indiana selected the Cardinal for the state bird and it was adopted officially by the legislature in 1929.

In 1907, a statewide campaign to adapt a state flower and a state tree was initiated. The Violet defeated the Wild Rose and Goldenrod. On 1/21/1908 the Violet was approved by the legislature.

The state quarter features the young Abraham Lincoln, for the sculpture by Avard Fairbanks titled "The Resolute Lincoln", over an outline of the state. A farming symbol represents the agricultural tradition of the state is left of Lincoln. Right of Lincoln is the Chicago skyline. The 21 stars highlights Indiana being the 21st state of the union.

The Yellowhammer is the only woodpecker chosen as a state bird. A bill was passed on 9/6/1927 making it official. Alabama has been known as the Yellowhammer state since the Civil Ware. Confederate soldiers from Alabama were known as "Yellowhammers" and Veterans of that wore a Yellowhammer feather in their caps of lapels during reunions.

A bill was passed for Goldenrod as the state flower on 9/6/1927. This occurred many years after school children had chosen the Goldenrod as the state floral emblem. After passage of the bill, there was work to replace the Goldenrod because some considered it little more than a weed. In 1959, the Camellia replaced Goldenrod in an amendment to the official bill. In June 1999, this change was officially passed in a bill specifying the exact kind of Camellia to represent the state flower of Alabama.

The quarter features Helen Keller seated reading a book in Braille. Her name is also reproduced in Braille. She is circled by Southern Longleaf Pine branches (state tree) and Camellia (state flower).

The Chickadee was adopted as the state bird of Maine on 4/6/1927.

At the end of 1894, the Maine Floral Emblem Society started an effort to adopt a floral emblem for Maine. Ballots were published in newspapers with a choice of candidates: Goldenrod, Apple Blossom and the Pine Cone and Tassel. The Pin cone and Tassel got almost 60% of the vote. The legislature officially adopted te Pine Cone and Tassel (the only floral emblem that does not have a flower) on 2/1/1895.

The state quarter shows a light house which is the Pemaquid Point Light in New Harbor, ME. The schooner shown resembles "Victory Chimes", the last three-masted schooner of the Windjammer fleet.

The Eastern Bluebird was adopted as the Missouri state bird on 3/3/1927.

The White Hawthorn Blossom was adopted as the official state flower of Missouri on 3/16/1923.

The state quarter depicts Lewis and Clark returning to St. Louis coming down the Missouri River with the Gateway Arch in the background.