Welcome to Colorado, the Centennial State. Colorful Colorado boasts one of the most beautiful state flags and one of the coolest state seals to boot. You might even see a little conspiracy in the latter. (Continued below)
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| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | Centennial State, Colorful Colorado | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | Nil Sine Numine | 1861 | > |
| Song | Where the Columbines Grow | 1915 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | columbine (Aquilegia caerulea) | 1899 | > |
| Tree | Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens) | 1939 | > |
| Grass | blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) | 1987 | > |
| Cactus | Claret cup cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus) | 2014 | > |
| Bird | lark bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) | 1931 | > |
| Animal | Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) | 1961 | > |
| Reptile | western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) | 2008 | > |
| Amphibian | western tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium) | 2012 | > |
| Fish | greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii somias) | 1994 | > |
| Insect | Colorado hairstreak butterfly (Hypaurotis crysalus) | 1996 | > |
| Mineral | rhodochrosite | 2002 | > |
| Gemstone | aquamarine | 1971 | > |
| Rock | Yule marble | 2004 | > |
| Fossil † | Stegosaurus | 1982 | > |
| Soil | Seitz (unofficial)  |
> | |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Tartan | 1997 | > | |
| Pets | rescue dogs and cats | 2013 | > |
| Summer Heritage Sport | pack burro racing | 2012 | > |
| Winter Recreational Sports | Snowboarding and Skiing | 2008 | > |
| Museum | Air and Space Museum | 1997 | > |
| Folk Dance | square dance  |
1992 | > |
| Song | Rocky Mountain High | 2007 | > |
| Language | English |
1988 | > |
Some of Colorado’s symbols represent the grasslands of the Great Plains, while others represent the arid Southwest. However, the flag and seal point to the primary theme—the Rocky Mountains.
The state flower, tree, and mammal are all at home in the Rockies. The official state sports are snowboarding, skiing, and pack burro racing. And who could forget the state songs, “Where the Columbines Grow” and “Rocky Mountain High”?
If Colorado’s state fossil, the dinosaur Stegosaurus, was alive today, it wouldn’t recognize Colorado. When stegosaurs roamed the land, the Rocky Mountains hadn’t even been born yet. And who could have predicted that dinosaurs would evolve into birds, one of which represents Colorado?
If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.
You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)
After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.
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