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)
| 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)  |
> | |
| 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  |
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.
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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