The following is a list of symbols of the U.S. state of West Virginia.
Insignia
edit| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coat of arms | The Coat of Arms of West Virginia | 1863[1] | |
| Flag | The flag of West Virginia consists of the coat of arms, wreathed below in rhododendron and bannered with "State of West Virginia" above, on a white field bound in blue | 1929[1] | |
| Motto | Montani Semper Liberi (Mountaineers [are] Always Free) |
1863,[1][2] 1872[3] | — |
| Seal | The Great Seal of the State of West Virginia | 1863[1][2] |
Flora and fauna
edit| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal | Black bear | 1954,[1] 1973[3] | |
| Bird | Cardinal | 1949[1] | |
| Butterfly | Monarch butterfly | 1995[3] | |
| Fish | Brook trout | 1973[1] | |
| Flower | Rhododendron | 1903[1] | |
| Fruit | Apple | 1972[3] | |
| Golden Delicious apple | 1995[3] | ||
| Insect | Honey bee | 2002[3] | |
| Reptile | Timber rattlesnake | 2008[4] | |
| Tree | Sugar maple | 1949[1][3] |
Inanimate
edit| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil | Jefferson's ground sloth (Megalonyx jeffersonii) | 2008[4] | |
| Gem | Silicified Mississippian Lithostrotionella coral | 1990[3] | |
| Rock | Bituminous coal | 2009[5] | |
| Soil | Monongahela | 1997[3][6] |
Cultural
edit| Type | Symbol | Year | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colors | Old gold and blue | 1963[1] | |
| Official holiday | West Virginia Day – June 20 | 1927[3] | — |
| Official songs | "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "The West Virginia Hills," "West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home" and "This Is My West Virginia" | 1971, 1963, 2014[7] | |
| Tartan | West Virginia Shawl (adaptation) | 2008[8] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "State Symbols". West Virginia's State Treasurer's Office. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ^ a b "Wrap-up: The Newsletter of the West Virginia Legislature" (PDF). XVIII (7). West Virginia Legislature. February 28, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j "State Symbols". West Virginia Legislature. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ^ a b "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 28". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ^ Ward, Ken (June 3, 2009). "Coal: West Virginia's official rock". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ^ "Monongahela -- West Virginia State Soil" (PDF). US Department of Agriculture. Retrieved July 18, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ [1] Archived March 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "House Concurrent Resolution No. 29 (2008)". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved July 18, 2012.