G is for Goldfinches and Other State Symbols

I’m doing this Blogging A to Z thing. Today is G.

The Tennessee legislature is trying to designate the Holy Bible as its official state book. Even the governor and attorney general of Tennessee are saying that’s unconstitutional. Also inconsequential; just a bit of election year posturing.

New Jersey’s state bird, for instance, is the Eastern Goldfinch and our state dinosaur is the hadrosaurus foulkii. Neither of these creates any obligation on my part as a citizen of NJ (but I did actually know both without looking them up). If we were to choose a state book, it wouldn’t really affect me in any substantial way.

But it got me thinking about other state symbols, so I Googled them, as you do, and found a few interesting facts.

State books are actually really uncommon. I only found 2 state books and they’re both children’s books.

Square dancing is the state dance or state folk dance in 24 states, including New Jersey. I wonder if that’s why they made us square dance in gym class. North Carolina has both a state folk dance (clogging) and a state popular dance (the shag). I can’t help wondering if the shag is still as popular as it was when they made that designation.

Milk is a very common state beverage, which creates no obligation to actually drink milk. I suspect the Dairy Council was involved in those designations. Indiana seems almost daring in their choice of water.

I thought NJ having a state dinosaur was odd, but across the country, there are 53 state dinosaurs and/or fossils. 30 states have official state soils, where I imagine said fossils were found.

State tartans are a thing in 22 states. Alabama has an official state Renaissance Faire. Several states have poets laureate, but only Connecticut has a state troubadour.

New Mexico’s state cookie is the biscochito. Minnesota’s state muffin is blueberry. Georgia’s state prepared food is grits. I happen to like grits, but state prepared food?

Missouri’s state invertebrate is the crayfish. The state bug (not insect) of New York is the very specific 9-spotted Ladybug. There are a few other ladybugs and lots of butterflies and bumblebees among the other states’ official crawling and flying things. New Jersey’s state butterfly is the totally badass black swallowtail.

Oklahoma has a state rock song, and it’s by the Flaming Lips. Arizona has an official alternate state anthem – in case the original state anthem becomes somehow unable to fulfill its duties, I guess.

New Hampshire has 10 state songs. Not to be outdone, Tennessee has 13, including Rocky Top, a song I heard 400 or so times one New Years’ Eve in a piano bar in Dallas.

John Denver is responsible for state songs of both Colorado (Rocky Mountain High) and West Virginia (Take Me Home Country Roads). I was surprised that NJ – home of Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Queen Latifah, and so many others – does not have a state song.

Maybe I’ll petition the legislature to get on that.