State Nature Symbols

Did you know that every state has an official state bird and flower? Most states also have several other state animals and plants: insects, trees, reptiles, mammals, etc. These symbols often represent a beautiful and common example of the state's wildlife, and it's fun to find out what your state symbols are. Here is a photograph of me feeding my state bird, the Black-capped Chickadee.

There are many online sources for information about state plants and animals. Wikipedia has photographs of all state birds and flowers. For a complete list of all state animals and plants, go to http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/ Have you seen your state bird in the school yard? Is the state tree or flower growing anywhere nearby? I live in Massachusetts. Here are my state animals and plants:

Bird: Black-capped Chickadee

Flower: Mayflower

Tree: American Elm

Insect: Ladybug

Fish: Cod

Marine Mammal: Atlantic Right Whale

Mammal: White-Tailed Deer

Reptile: Garter Snake

Lady Bug, Lady Bug!

Here I am outside with the children letting our Lady Bugs go. Get them at your local garden center.

Lady Bugs are another fascinating insect to study. Here are some Lady Bug facts:

• Lady Bugs are actually beetles, and, like all insects, have six legs
• There are almost 5,000 different kinds of Lady Bugs around the world; 400 species live in North America
• Lady Bugs taste so terrible that birds will not eat them
• Lady Bugs favorite food is aphids
• You can tell Lady Bugs apart by their color and number of spots
• Lady Bugs are the state insect in Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee (my next blog will be about state animals: birds, insects, etc)

Lady Bug Resources:

1. http://www.insectlore.com/ Insect Lore sells a variety of Lady Bug materials.
2. http://www.google.com/ Search on Lady Bugs, then click Images.
3. www.geocities.com/sseagraves/ladybugteachersguide.htm For Lady Bug information and activity ideas.