Welcome to the Tarheel State! North Carolina has some exciting symbols that represent the sea, including the red drum, Scotch bonnet, shad boat, and the fossilized teeth of the super-shark Megalodon. The state horse is the colonial Spanish mustang, which is associated with shipwrecks. (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Tar Heel State, Turpentine State, Old North State, First in Flight | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | Esse Quam Videri | 1893 | > |
| Song | The Old North State | 1927 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | dogwood (Cornus florida) | 1941 | > |
| Wildflower | Carolina lily (Lilium michauxii) | 2003 | > |
| Tree | pine (Pinus) | 1963 | > |
| Christmas tree | Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) | 2005 | > |
| Fruit | scuppermong (Vitis rotundifolia) | 2001 | > |
| Blue Berry | blueberry (Vaccinium) | 2001 | > |
| Red Berry | strawberry (Fragaria) | 2001 | > |
| Vegetable | sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) | 1995 | > |
| Carnivorous Plant | Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) | 2005 | > |
| Bird | cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1943 | > |
| Mammal | gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) | 1969 | > |
| Marsupial | Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginianus) | 2013 | > |
| Horse | colonial Spanish mustang (Equus caballus) | 2011 | > |
| Dog | Plott Hound (Canis lupus familiaris) | 1989 | > |
| Reptile | eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) | 1979 | > |
| Salamander | marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) | 2013 | > |
| Frog | Pine Barrens tree frog (Hyla andersonii) | 2013 | > |
| Amphibian (former) | bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) | 2007 | |
| Fish | channel bass or red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) | 1971 | > |
| Freshwater Trout | Southern Appalachian brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 2005 | > |
| Butterfly | eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) | 2012 | > |
| Insect | honeybee (Apis mellifera)  |
1973 | > |
| Shell | Scotch bonnet (Phalium granulatum) | 1965 | > |
| Mineral | gold | 2011 | > |
| Rock | granite | 1979 | > |
| Precious Stone | emerald | 1973 | > |
| Fossil † | Teeth of shark Megalodon | 2013 | > |
| Soil | Cecil (unofficial)  |
> | |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Colors | red and blue | 1945 | > |
| Boat | shad boat | 1987 | > |
| Sport | stock car racing | 2011 | > |
| Toast | A Toast to North Carolina | 1957 | > |
| Tartan | Carolina Tartan | 1991 | > |
| Cookie | Moravian cookie | 2023 | > |
| Beverage | milk |
1987 | > |
| Folk Dance | clogging | 2005 | > |
| Popular Dance | shag | 2005 | > |
| Art Medium | clay | 2013 | > |
| Pottery Birthplace | Seagrove Area | 2005 | > |
| Folk Art | Whirligigs by Vollis Simpson | 2013 | > |
| Star | Moravian star | 2023 | > |
| Theater | Thalian Association | 1975 | > |
| Language | English |
1987 | > |
| Veterans Day Parade | Veterans Day Parade held in the Town of Warsaw | 2016 | > |
| Military Academy | Oak Ridge Military Academy, Oak Ridge | 1991 | > |
| Flag Salute | 2007 | > | |
The nickname First in Flight recalls the Wright Brothers’ famous flight on a North Carolina beach. But were the Wright Brothers really the first to fly? There’s some conspiracy involved in their story, and the Smithsonian Institution is among the chief conspirators.
However, most of the Tarheel State’s symbols represent the land, from the Scuppermong grape to the gray squirrel and opossum. Though North Carolina’s official wildflower, the Carolina lily, is a unique symbol, nothing could be more unique than the Venus flytrap, which was designated its official carnivorous plant.
Another truly unique symbol is the famous Whirligigs, which was named the official folk art. They say it’s something you have to see to believe.
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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