Welcome to the Green Mountain State! What stories do its symbols have to tell us? (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Green Mountain State | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | Freedom and Unity | > | |
| Latin Motto | Stella quarta decima fulgeat | 2015 | > |
| Song | These Green Mountains | 2000 | > |
| Song (former) | Hail to Vermont | 1938 | |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | red clover (Trifolium pratense) | 1895 | > |
| Tree | sugar maple (Acer saccharum) | 1949 | > |
| Fruit | apple (Malus) | 1999 | > |
| Vegetable | Gilfeather turnip (Brassica rapa) | 2016 | > |
| Bird | hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) | 1941 | > |
| Animal | Morgan Horse (Equus caballus) | 1961 | > |
| Heritage Breed of Livestock | Randall lineback breed of cattle (Bos primigenius) | 2006 | > |
| Reptile | painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) | 1994 | > |
| Amphibian | northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) | 1998 | > |
| Cold Water Fish | brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 1978 | > |
| Warm Water Fish | walleye (Sander vitreus) | 1978 | > |
| Insect | honeybee (Apis mellifera)  |
1978 | > |
| Butterfly | monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) | 1987 | > |
| Mineral | talc | 1991 | > |
| Gem | grossular garnet | 1991 | > |
| Rock | granite | 1992 | > |
| Rock | marble | 1992 | > |
| Rock | slate | 1992 | > |
| Marine Fossil | beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) | 1993 | > |
| Terrestrial Fossil † | Mount Holly mammoth tooth and tusk | 2014 | > |
| Soil | Tunbridge Soil Series | 1985 | > |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Pie | apple pie | 1999 | > |
| Flavor | maple | 1993 | > |
| Beverage | milk |
1983 | > |
| Winter Sports | Skiing and snowboarding | 2012 | > |
| Fly-Fishing Fly | Governor Aiken bucktail streamer | 2014 | > |
Aside from the red clover and hermit thrush (the state flower and bird), Vermont shares most of its plant and animal symbols with other states. The other exceptions are two domestic species, the Gilfeather turnip and a breed of cattle known as the Randall lineback.
What gets my attention is Vermont’s roster of earth symbols, which includes an official mineral, gem, three rocks, two fossils, and a soil. The fossils include a mammoth and a beluga (a small white whale) that lived in what is now Vermont during the Ice Age. Speaking of ice, while neighboring New Hampshire calls skiing its official sport, Vermonters designated skiing and snowboarding their official winter sports.
Vermont’s more unusual symbols include an official Latin motto, flavor (maple), and fly-fishing fly.
In my opinion, Vermont boasts one of the finest state seals and coats of arms both. Although its flag isn’t among the worst, it could be improved, however.
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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