List of Virginia state symbols
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of symbols of the United States Commonwealth of Virginia. The majority of the items in the list are officially recognized symbols created by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by the governor. The state nickname is the oldest symbol. However, it is the only symbol that is not official. The state motto and seal have been official since Virginia declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Virginia is the only state to have the same plant for state flower and state tree, the Flowering Dogwood.[1] The majority of the symbols were made official in the late 20th century.
Contents |
[edit] Miscellaneous
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | State seal on a blue background. Defined as:
|
1861[A] |  |
|||
| Motto | Sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants) |
1776[2] |  |
|||
| Nickname | Old Dominion | n/a[B] | ||||
| Seal | The Seal of Virginia. Defined as:
|
1776[2] | |
|||
| Slogan | Virginia is for Lovers | 1969[3] | ||||
| License plate | The plate has a completely white background. Virginia is written in red at the top. "400th Anniversary" is written at the bottom with a picture of a ship separating the words. 1607 is written on the left and 2007 is written on the right. | 2002[4] |  [C] |
[edit] Flora
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flower | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) |
1918 |  |
| Tree | American Dogwood (Cornus florida) |
1956 | |
[edit] Fauna
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) |
1950 |  |
| Butterfly | Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus) |
1991 |  |
| Dog | American Foxhound (Canis lupis familiaris) |
1966 |  |
| Fish | Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) |
1993 |  |
| Insect | Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus) |
1991 | |
| Shell | Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica |
1974 |  |
| Bat | Virginia Big-Eared Bat | 2005 |
[edit] Geology
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil | Chesapecten jeffersonius | 1993 |  |
[edit] Culture
| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat | Chesapeake Bay deadrise | 1988 | |
| Drink | Milk | 1982 |  |
| Folk dance | Square dance | 1991 |  |
| Song | Carry Me Back to Old Virginny | 1940 | |
| Tartan | Virginia Quadricentennial Tartan | 2007 |
[edit] Notes
- A The flag was adopted in 1861 after secession from the United States.[2]
- B The Virginia Colony was nicknamed "The Old Dominion" by King Charles II for its perceived loyalty to the English monarchy during the English Civil War.[5]
- C Pictures of Virginia's license plates throughout the years can be found here.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ State Trees & State Flowers. United States National Arboreteum (March 5, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
- ^ a b c Virginia (U.S.). Flags of the World. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- ^ Virginia Is For Lovers. Virginia.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ License plates of Virginia. World License Plates. Retrieved on 2002-08-22.
- ^ How did Virginia get its nickname the old dominion?. Blurt It. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
[edit] External links
- Virginia Commonwealth symbols and emblems. Netstate. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- State Symbols, Seals and Emblems. Virginia.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- Virginia Official State Symbols. Virginia Tourism Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- Symbols of the Commonwealth. Homework Helper. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
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