List of Pennsylvania state symbols
State symbols
Table:
Type

Symbol

Description

Adopted

Image

Notes

Aircraft

Piper J-3 Cub

June 26, 2014

[1]

Amphibian

Eastern hellbender
(Cryptobranchus alleganiensis)

April 23, 2019

[2][3]

Animal

White-tailed deer
(Odocoileus virginianus)

October 2, 1959

[4]
[5]

Beautification and conservation plant

Penngift crownvetch
(Coronilla varia L. Penngift)

June 17, 1982

[6]
[7]

Beverage

Milk

April 29, 1982

[6]
[8]

Coat of arms

Coat of Arms of Pennsylvania

1778

[4]

Dog

Great Dane

August 15, 1965

[4]
[9]

Electric locomotive

GG1 4859

December 18, 1987

[6]
[10]

Firearm

Pennsylvania long rifle

June 26, 2014

Pennsylvania long rifle

[1]

Fish

Brook trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis)

May 9, 1970

[4]
[11]

Flag

Flag of Pennsylvania

1799

[4]
[12]

Flower

Mountain laurel
(Kalmia latifolia)

May 5, 1933

[4]
[13]

Fossil

Phacops rana

December 5, 1988

[6]
[14]

Game bird

Ruffed Grouse
(Bonasa umbellus)

June 22, 1931

[4]
[15]

Insect

Pennsylvania firefly
(Photuris pennsylvanica)

December 5, 1988

[4]
[16]

Motto

"Virtue, Liberty, and Independence"

1778

[17]

Nickname

"Keystone State"

c. 1800

[17]

Seal

Seal of Pennsylvania

1791

[17]

Ship

US Brig Niagara

April 29, 1988

[6]
[18]

Song

"Pennsylvania"

November 29, 1990

[19]
[20]

Drawing on the following table and the background passages listed.

Respond to the question below: What was adopted in the month of May and also goes by the name mountain laurel ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft . The aircraft has a simple , lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance . The Cub is Piper Aircraft 's most-produced model , with nearly 20,000 built in the United States . Its simplicity , affordability and popularity invokes comparisons to the Ford Model T automobile . The aircraft is a high-wing , strut-braced monoplane with a large-area rectangular wing . It is most often powered by an air-cooled , flat-4 piston engine driving a fixed-pitch propeller . Its fuselage is a welded steel frame covered in fabric , seating two people in tandem . The Cub was originally intended as a trainer and had great popularity in this role and as a general aviation aircraft . Due to its performance , it was well suited for a variety of military uses such as reconnaissance , liaison and ground control . It was produced in large numbers during World War II as the L-4 Grasshopper . Many Cubs are still flying today . Notably , Cubs are highly prized as bush aircraft .
This is a list of official U.S. state , federal district , and territories amphibians . State amphibians are designated by tradition or the respective state legislatures .
The hellbender ( Cryptobranchus alleganiensis ) , also known as the hellbender salamander , is a species of aquatic giant salamander endemic to the eastern and central United States . A member of the family Cryptobranchidae , the hellbender is the only extant member of the genus Cryptobranchus . Other closely related salamanders in the same family are in the genus Andrias , which contains the Japanese and Chinese giant salamanders . The hellbender , which is much larger than all other salamanders in its geographic range , employs an unusual means of respiration ( which involves cutaneous gas exchange through capillaries found in its dorsoventral skin folds ) , and fills a particular niche - both as a predator and prey - in its ecosystem , which either it or its ancestors have occupied for around 65 million years . The species is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species .
A state mammal is the official mammal of a U.S. state as designated by a state 's legislature . The first column of the table is for those denoted as the state mammal , and the second shows the state marine mammals . Animals with more specific designations are also listed . Many states also have separately officially designated state birds , state fish , state butterflies , state reptiles , and other animals . Listed separately are state dogs and state horses .
The white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) , also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer , is a medium-sized deer native to North America , Central America , Ecuador , and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia . It has also been introduced to New Zealand , Cuba , Jamaica , Hispaniola , the Bahamas , the Lesser Antilles , and some countries in Europe , such as the Czech Republic , Finland , Romania , Serbia , Germany , and France . In the Americas , it is the most widely distributed wild ungulate . In North America , the species is widely distributed east of the Rocky Mountains as well as in southwestern Arizona and most of Mexico , aside from Lower California . It is mostly replaced by the black-tailed or mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) from that point west except for in mixed deciduous riparian corridors , river valley bottomlands , and lower foothills of the northern Rocky Mountain region from South Dakota west to eastern Washington and eastern Oregon and north to northeastern British Columbia and southern Yukon , including in the Montana Valley and Foothill grasslands . Texas is home to the most white-tailed deer of any U.S. state or Canadian province , with an estimated population of over four million . Notably high populations of white-tailed deer occur in the Edwards Plateau of Central Texas . Michigan , Minnesota , Iowa , Mississippi , Missouri , New Jersey , Illinois , Wisconsin , Maryland , New York , North Dakota , Ohio , Pennsylvania , and Indiana also boast high deer densities . The conversion of land adjacent to the Canadian Rockies into agriculture use and partial clear-cutting of coniferous trees ( resulting in widespread deciduous vegetation ) has been favorable to the white-tailed deer and has pushed its distribution to as far north as Yukon . Populations of deer around the Great Lakes have also expanded their range northwards , due to conversion of land to agricultural uses favoring more deciduous vegetation , and local caribou and moose populations . The westernmost population of the species , known as the Columbian white-tailed deer , once was widespread in the mixed forests along the Willamette and Cowlitz River valleys of western Oregon and southwestern Washington , but today its numbers have been considerably reduced , and it is classified as near-threatened . This population is separated from other white-tailed deer populations .
This is a list of U.S. state and territory plants and botanical gardens - plants and botanical gardens which have been designated as an official symbol ( s ) by a state or territory 's legislature . 5 U.S. states and 1 U.S. territory have an official state/territory plant . 7 U.S. states have an official state botanical garden or arboretum . This list excludes state flowers , state trees , and state grasses .
The genus Coronilla contains about 20 species of flowering plants native to Europe and North Africa . Coronilla species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the case-bearers Coleophora coronillae ( which feeds exclusively on Coronilla varia ) and Coleophora vicinella . Species include :
This is a list of state beverages as designated by the various states of the United States . The first known usage of declaring a specific beverage a state beverage within the US began in 1965 with Ohio designating tomato juice as their official beverage . The most popular choice for state beverage designation is milk ( or a flavored milk ) with 21 out of the 29 entities ( 27 states and 2 territories with official beverages ) making milk their official beverage , while Rhode Island chose coffee-flavored milk . Alabama and Virginia are the only two U.S. states to have alcoholic beverages as their state beverages .
Milk is a nutrient-rich , white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals . It is the primary source of nutrition for infant mammals ( including humans who are breastfed ) before they are able to digest other types of food . Early-lactation milk contains colostrum , which carries the mother 's antibodies to its young and can reduce the risk of many diseases . It contains many other nutrients including protein and lactose . Interspecies consumption of milk is not uncommon , particularly among humans , many of whom consume the milk of other mammals . As an agricultural product , milk , also called dairy milk , is extracted from farm animals during or soon after pregnancy . Dairy farms produced about 730 million tonnes of milk in 2011 , from 260 million dairy cows . India is the world 's largest producer of milk , and is the leading exporter of skimmed milk powder , yet it exports few other milk products . The ever-increasing rise in domestic demand for dairy products and a large demand-supply gap could lead to India being a net importer of dairy products in the future . New Zealand , Germany and the Netherlands are the largest exporters of milk products . China and Russia were the world 's largest importers of milk and milk products until 2016 when both countries became self-sufficient , contributing to a worldwide glut of milk . Throughout the world , more than six billion people consume milk and milk products .
The coats of arms of the U.S. states are coats of arms , adopted by those states that have chosen , that are an official symbol of the state , alongside their seal . Eighteen states have officially adopted coats of arms . The former independent Republic of Texas and Kingdom of Hawaii each had a separate national coat of arms , which are no longer used .
The coat of arms of Pennsylvania is an official emblem of the state , alongside the seal and state flag , and was adopted in 1778 . The flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is embroidered . The Pennsylvania coat of arms features a shield crested by an American bald eagle , flanked by horses , and adorned with symbols of Pennsylvania 's strengths - a ship carrying state commerce to all parts of the world ; a clay-red plough , a symbol of Pennsylvania 's rich natural resources ; and three golden sheaves of wheat , representing fertile fields and Pennsylvania 's wealth of human thought and action . An olive branch and cornstalk cross limbs beneath - symbols of peace and prosperity . The state motto , Virtue , Liberty and Independence , appears festooned below . Atop the coat of arms is a bald eagle , representing Pennsylvania 's loyalty to the United States .
Thirteen states of the United States have designated an official state dog breed . Maryland was the first state to name a dog breed as a state symbol , naming the Chesapeake Bay Retriever in 1964 . Pennsylvania followed the year after , naming the Great Dane as its official breed . Dog breeds are mostly affiliated with the states that they originated in . North Carolina chose the Plott Hound as it was the only dog breed indigenous to the state . Other official state dogs also are indigenous to their state , including the Boston Terrier ( Massachusetts ) and the Alaskan Malamute ( Alaska ) . Pennsylvania selected the Great Dane not because of its origin , but because it was introduced by early settlers in the state to be used as a hunting and working dog ; it was chosen over the Beagle , which was also proposed around the same time . Two of the more recent successful campaigns to name a state dog have been started by schoolchildren . In 2007 , Alaskan kindergarten student Paige Hill 's idea created the campaign for the Alaskan Malamute which would convince Representative Berta Gardner to support the bill in 2009 , with it becoming law in 2010 . Elementary school students from Bedford , New Hampshire won their campaign for the Chinook to be accepted as a symbol of their state in 2010 . There have been a variety of campaigns in other states to select a state dog . Georgia was undecided about choosing a state dog in 1991 , with an attempt to make the Golden Retriever the official dog failing after a vote in the Georgia State Senate ; an opposing campaign promoted the Bulldog , the mascot of the University of Georgia .
The Great Dane is a German breed of domestic dog known for its giant size . The record holder for the tallest dog ever is a Great Dane called Zeus ( died September 2014 ; aged 5 ) , who measured 111.8 cm ( 44.0 in ) from paw to shoulder . The tallest living dog is another Dane named Freddy , measuring 103.5 cm ( 40.7 in ) .
Pennsylvania Railroad 4859 is a GG1-class electric locomotive located in the Harrisburg Transportation Center in Harrisburg in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania . It was operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors , Penn Central and Conrail . 4859 pulled the first electrically powered train from Philadelphia to Harrisburg on January 15 , 1938 . It was used in various freight and passenger service until November 22 , 1979 , when it pulled the last GG1-powered freight train on November 22 , 1979 . Originally located in Strasburg , it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and was moved to its current location in 1986 . It was designated the state electric locomotive of Pennsylvania in 1987 by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and was re-listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 .
A state firearm has only been designated by eight of the fifty States in the United States : Alaska , Arizona , Utah , Indiana , Kentucky , Pennsylvania , West Virginia , and Tennessee .
The long rifle , also known as longrifle , Kentucky rifle , Pennsylvania rifle , or American longrifle , was one of the first commonly used rifles for hunting and warfare . It is characterized by an unusually long barrel , a development in American rifles that was uncommon in European rifles of the same period . The long rifle is an early example of a firearm using rifling ( spiral grooves in the bore ) , which caused the projectile ( commonly a round lead ball ) to spin around the axis of its motion . This increased the stability of its trajectory and dramatically improved accuracy over contemporary smooth bore muskets , which were cheaper and more common . Rifled firearms saw their first major combat use in the American colonies during the French and Indian War , and later the American Revolution in the eighteenth century . Until the development of the Minié ball in the middle of the 19th century , the main disadvantages of a rifle compared to a musket were a slower reload time due to the use of a tighter fitting lead ball and greater susceptibility to the fouling of the bore after prolonged use - such fouling would eventually prevent loading altogether , rendering the weapon useless until thoroughly cleaned . The adoption of the Minié ball essentially nullified these disadvantages and allowed the rifle to completely replace the musket . The long rifle was made popular by German gunsmiths who immigrated to America , bringing with them the technology of rifling from where it originated . The accuracy achieved by the long rifle made it an ideal tool for hunting wildlife for food in colonial America .
This is a list of official and unofficial U.S. state fishes :
The brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus Salvelinus of the salmon family Salmonidae . It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada , but has been introduced elsewhere in North America , as well as to Iceland , Europe , and Asia . In parts of its range , it is also known as the eastern brook trout , speckled trout , brook charr , squaretail , or mud trout , among others . A potamodromous population in Lake Superior , as well as an anadromous population in Maine , is known as coaster trout or , simply , as coasters . The brook trout is the state fish of nine U.S. states : Michigan , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , Vermont , Virginia , and West Virginia , and the Provincial Fish of Nova Scotia in Canada .
The flags of the U.S. states , territories , and the District of Columbia exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories , as well as different styles and design principles . Nonetheless , the majority of the states ' flags share the same design pattern consisting of the state seal superimposed on a monochrome background , commonly a shade of blue . The most recently adopted state flag is the Flag of Utah , which was updated on February 16 , 2011 to fix incorrectly located text . The most recently adopted territorial flag is that of the Northern Mariana Islands , and was adopted on July 1 , 1985 .
The coat of arms of Pennsylvania is an official emblem of the state , alongside the seal and state flag , and was adopted in 1778 . The flag of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania consists of a blue field on which the state coat of arms is embroidered . The Pennsylvania coat of arms features a shield crested by an American bald eagle , flanked by horses , and adorned with symbols of Pennsylvania 's strengths - a ship carrying state commerce to all parts of the world ; a clay-red plough , a symbol of Pennsylvania 's rich natural resources ; and three golden sheaves of wheat , representing fertile fields and Pennsylvania 's wealth of human thought and action . An olive branch and cornstalk cross limbs beneath - symbols of peace and prosperity . The state motto , Virtue , Liberty and Independence , appears festooned below . Atop the coat of arms is a bald eagle , representing Pennsylvania 's loyalty to the United States .
This is a list of U.S. state , federal district , and territory flowers :
Kalmia latifolia , commonly called mountain laurel , calico-bush , or spoonwood , is a broadleaved evergreen shrub in the heather family , Ericaceae , that is native to the eastern United States . Its range stretches from southern Maine south to northern Florida , and west to Indiana and Louisiana . Mountain laurel is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania . It is the namesake of Laurel County in Kentucky and the city of Laurel , Mississippi .
Most American states have made a state fossil designation , in many cases during the 1980s . It is common to designate one species in which fossilization has occurred , rather than a single specimen , or a category of fossils not limited to a single species . Some states that lack an explicit state fossil have nevertheless singled out a fossil for formal designation as a state dinosaur , rock , gem or stone .
Phacops rana ( Eldredgeops rana ) is a species of trilobite from the middle Devonian period . Their fossils are found chiefly in the northeastern United States , southwestern Ontario , and in Morocco .
Below is a list of U.S. state birds as designated by each state 's legislature , as well as the District of Columbia 's state bird . The list also contains U.S. territory birds as designated by each territory 's legislature . The selection of state birds began in 1927 , when the legislatures for Alabama , Florida , Maine , Missouri , Oregon , Texas and Wyoming selected their state birds . The last state to choose its bird was Arizona in 1973 . Alaska , California , and South Dakota permit hunting of their state birds . Pennsylvania has adopted a state game bird but not a state bird , while Alabama , Georgia , Massachusetts , Missouri , Oklahoma , South Carolina , and Tennessee have designated an additional state game bird for the purpose of hunting . The northern cardinal is the state bird of seven states , followed by the western meadowlark as the state bird of six states . Several states have extinct official animals , such as state dinosaurs in addition to state insects , state butterflies , state mammals and state reptiles . The District of Columbia designated a district bird in 1938 . Each of the five inhabited territories of the United States has a designated territorial bird ( except for American Samoa ) .
The ruffed grouse ( Bonasa umbellus ) is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska . It is non-migratory . It is the only species in the genus Bonasa . The ruffed grouse is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a partridge , an unrelated phasianid , and occasionally confused with the grey partridge , a bird of open areas rather than woodlands . The ruffed grouse is the state bird of Pennsylvania , United States .
State insects are designated by 48 individual states of the fifty United States . Some states have more than one designated insect , or have multiple categories ( e.g. , state insect and state butterfly , etc. ) . More than half of the insects chosen are not native to North America , because of the inclusion of three European species ( European honey bee , European mantis , and 7-spotted ladybird ) , each having been chosen by multiple states .
Photuris pensylvanica , known by the common names Pennsylvania firefly , lightning bug , and ( in its larval state ) glowworm , is a species of firefly from the United States and Canada . It is also widely known under the Latin name Photuris pennsylvanica , although the original spelling , with one n , was common in Latinized names of the time and remains the valid name .
All of the United States ' 50 states have a state motto , as do the District of Columbia , and 3 U.S. territories . A motto is a phrase intended to formally describe the general motivation or intention of an organization . State mottos can sometimes be found on state seals or state flags . Some states have officially designated a state motto by an act of the state legislature , whereas other states have the motto only as an element of their seals . The motto of the United States itself is In God We Trust , proclaimed by Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 30 , 1956 . The motto E Pluribus Unum ( Latin for One from many ) was approved for use on the Great Seal of the United States in 1782 , but was never adopted as the national motto through legislative action . South Carolina has two official mottos , both of which are in Latin . Kentucky , North Dakota , and Vermont also have two mottos , one in Latin and the other in English . All other states and territories have only one motto , except for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands , which do not have any mottos . English and Latin are the most-used languages for state mottos , each used by 25 states and territories . Seven states and territories use another language , of which each language is only used once . Eight states and two territories have their mottos on their state quarter ; thirty-eight states and four territories have their mottos on their state seals .
The following is a table of U.S. state and territory nicknames , including officially adopted nicknames , and other traditional nicknames for the 50 U.S. states and the 5 inhabited territories ( and the District of Columbia ) .
This list of U.S. state , federal district , and territorial seals shows the official seals of the 50 states , of the federal district , and of the 5 inhabited territories of the United States of America . Also included are the seals of the 3 largest Native American tribes , plus several historical state and territorial seals .
The Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is the state seal for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . According to the state 's website , the seal was authorized by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1791 , and is a symbol of authenticity which verifies that proclamations , commissions and other papers of state are legal and official . Unlike most state seals , it has an obverse and a reverse . The Secretary of the Commonwealth is the keeper of the great Seal , and has the duty of authenticating government documents , and proclaiming new law as enacted through its use .
This is a list of official U.S. state ships as designated by each state 's legislature . Maine : USS Maine Massachusetts : USS Massachusetts Connecticut : USS Constitution North Carolina : USS North Carolina
USS Niagara , commonly called the US Brig Niagara or the Flagship Niagara , is a wooden-hulled snow-brig [ b ] that served as the relief flagship for Oliver Hazard Perry in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812 . As the ship is certified for sail training by the United States Coast Guard , she is also designated SSV Niagara . Niagara is usually docked behind the Erie Maritime Museum in downtown Erie in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania as an outdoor exhibit for the museum . She also often travels the Great Lakes during the summer , serving as an ambassador of Pennsylvania when not docked . It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and was designated the official state ship of Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1988 . Niagara was constructed from 1812 to 1813 to protect the vulnerable American coastline on Lake Erie from the British and played a pivotal role in the battle for the lake . Along with most warships that served in the war , Niagara was sunk for preservation on Presque Isle in 1820 . Raised in 1913 , it was rebuilt for the centennial of the Battle of Lake Erie . After deteriorating , the restoration of Niagara was started again in the 1930s , but was hampered by the lack of funds caused by the Great Depression and remained uncompleted until 1963 . A more extensive restoration was carried out in 1988 in which much of the original ship was largely destroyed . The incorporation of new materials and modern equipment makes it ambiguous as to whether it is or is not a replica .
Forty-nine of the fifty U.S. states that make up the United States of America have one or more state songs , a type of regional anthem , which are selected by each state legislature , and/or state governor , as a symbol ( or emblem ) of that particular U.S. state . Some U.S. states have more than one official state song , and may refer to some of their official songs by other names ; for example , Arkansas officially has two state songs , plus a state anthem , and a state historical song . Tennessee has the most state songs , with 9 official state songs and an official bicentennial rap . Arizona has a song that was written specifically as a state anthem in 1915 , as well as the 1981 country hit Arizona , which it adopted as the alternate state anthem in 1982 . Two individuals , Stephen Foster , and John Denver , have written or co-written two state songs . Foster 's two state songs , Old Folks at Home ( better known as Swanee Ribber or Suwannee River ) , adopted by Florida , and My Old Kentucky Home are among the best-known songs in the U.S. On March 12 , 2007 , the Colorado Senate passed a resolution to make Denver 's trademark 1972 hit Rocky Mountain High one of the state 's two official state songs , sharing duties with its predecessor , Where the Columbines Grow . On March 7 , 2014 , the West Virginia Legislature approved a resolution to make Denver 's Take Me Home , Country Roads one of four official state songs of West Virginia . Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the resolution into law on March 8 , 2014 . Additionally , Woody Guthrie wrote or co-wrote two state folk songs - Roll On , Columbia , Roll On and Oklahoma Hills - but they have separate status from the official state songs of Washington and Oklahoma , respectively . Other well-known state songs include Yankee Doodle , You Are My Sunshine , Rocky Top , and Home on the Range ; a number of others are popular standards , including Oklahoma ( from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ) , Hoagy Carmichael 's Georgia on My Mind , Tennessee Waltz , Missouri Waltz , and On the Banks of the Wabash , Far Away . Many of the others are much less well-known , especially outside the state . New Jersey has no official state song , while Virginia 's previous state song , Carry Me Back to Old Virginny , adopted in 1940 , was later rescinded in 1997 due to its racist language by the Virginia General Assembly .
Pennsylvania is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania .