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Maine State Symbols

Welcome to the Pine Tree State! Which do you think best represents Maine—a towering pine, a lighthouse, a majestic moose, or a lobster? (Continued below)

Maine State Flag
Nicknames & Slogans
Nicknames The Pine Tree State, Border State, Old Dirigo State
Symbols of State
Motto Dirigo
Song State of Maine Song 1937
EcoSymbols
Flower white pine cone and tassel (Pinus strobus) 1895
Tree eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) 1945
Berry blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) 1991
Herb wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) 1999
Bird chickadee (Poecile) 1927
Animal moose (Alces alces) 1979
Cat Maine Coon Cat (Felis catus) 1985
Fish landlocked salmon (Salmo salar) 1969
Heritage Fish brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)
Heritage Fish blueback charr (Salvelinus alpinus oquassa)
Insect honeybee (Apis mellifera) Redundant Symbol 1975
Butterfly pink-edged sulphur (Colias interior) 2023
Crustacean Maine lobster (Homarus americanus) 2016
Gemstone tourmaline 1971
Fossil † Pertica quadrifaria 1985
Soil Chesuncook Soil Series 1999
Cultural Symbols
Dessert blueberry pie 2011
Treat whoopie pie 2011
Sweetener pure Maine maple syrup 2015
Drink Moxie 2005
Vessel Schooner Bowdoin 1987
Official Language of the Deaf Community American Sign Language 1991
March The Dirigo March 2012
Ballad The Ballad of the 20th Maine 2010

A white pine and moose are depicted on the Pine Tree State’s coat of arms and flag, and the motto, Dirigo, suggests a lighthouse. However, the famous Maine lobster wasn’t designated the official state crustacean until 2016.

Other official Maine symbols include three fishes, two pies (blueberry and whoopie), and a sweetener (pure Maine maple syrup). Maine also boasts one of the most unusual state fossils, an ancient plant called Pertica quadrifaria.

However, Maine’s most unusual symbol may be Moxie, a drink that’s probably best not tasted. Not surprisingly, many Mainiacs prefer the state cat, the Maine Coon Cat. They’re both intriguing symbols in their own Mainiacal way.

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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.

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