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Connecticut

Welcome to Connecticut, the Nutmeg State. Connecticut’s symbols offer something old, something new, and a few things that are a little odd. (Continued below)

 Connecticut State Flag
Nicknames & Slogans
Nicknames Constitution State, Nutmeg State 1959
Symbols of State
Motto Qui Transtulit Sustinet
Song Yankee Doodle 1978
EcoSymbols
Flower mountain laurel (Kalmia-latifolia) 1907
Children’s Flower Michaela Petit’s four-o’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) 2015
Tree The Charter Oak (Quercus alba) 1947
Bird robin (Turdus migratorius) 1943
Animal sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) 1975
Fish American shad (Alosa sapidissima) 2003
Insect European mantis (Mantis religiosa) 1977
Shellfish eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) 1989
Mineral almandine garnet 1977
Fossil † dinosaur track 1991
Dinosaur † Dilophosaurus 2019
Soil Windsor (unofficial) Unofficial
Cultural Symbols
Tartan 1995
Hero Nathan Hale 1985
Heroine Prudence Crandall 1995
Flagship The Freedom Schooner Amistad 2003
Pioneering Aircraft Gustave Whitehead’s No. 21 2019
Folk Dance square dance Redundant Symbol 1995
Song (second) “Beautiful Connecticut Waltz,” composed by Joseph Leggo of Newington 2013
Polka “Ballroom Polka,” written and composed by Ray Henry Mocarski 2013
Cantata Nutmeg 2003
Troubadour Dr. Dennis G. Waring
Composer Charles Ives 1991
Ship USS Nautilus (SSN-571) 1983
Aircraft Corsair F4U 2005

Land and sea are represented by the state tree and animal, the Charter Oak and sperm whale, both of which have some amazing stories to tell. And who could have known that Connecticut’s official fossil, dinosaur tracks, would find a magical connection to one of the stars of the movie Jurassic Park?

We might even spot a little conspiracy among Connecticut’s symbols. Did Gustave Whitehead fly before the Wright Brothers? And why is Nathan Hale remembered as a hero when he was such a boob? Maybe the answer lies in the nickname Nutmeg State.

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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.

Connecticut Symbols Store
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