List of Kentucky state symbols

The Commonwealth of Kentucky has 29 official state emblems, as well as other designated places and events. The majority are determined by acts of the Kentucky General Assembly and recorded in Title I, Chapter 2 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes.^[1] The state's nickname – "The Bluegrass State" – is traditional, but has never been passed into law by the General Assembly. It does, however, appear on the state's license plates. Despite the nickname's popularity, the General Assembly has not designated bluegrass (or any other grass) as the official state grass.

The first symbol was the Seal of Kentucky, which was made official in 1792. The original seal also contained the future state motto. It served as the state's only emblem for over 130 years until the adoption of the state bird in 1926. Enacted by law in 2010, the newest symbols of Kentucky are the state insect, the honey bee, and the state sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette.

Insignia

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Source
Flag	The Flag of Kentucky	Kentucky's flag has a navy blue background with the Seal of Kentucky in the middle.	1928		^[2]^[3]
Latin motto	Deo gratiam habeamus Let us be grateful to God		2002	—	^[4]
Motto	United we stand, divided we fall		1942	—	^[4]
Nickname	The Bluegrass State	The bluegrass that grows in the state's pasture land	Traditional	—	^[5]
Seal	The Seal of Kentucky	Kentucky's seal depicts two men embracing, the state motto and two sprigs of goldenrod.	1792		^[6]^[7]
Slogan	Kentucky Unbridled Spirit	The slogan alludes to Kentucky's reputation in horse racing and horse farms, as well as its production of whiskey	2004	—	^[8]

Species

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Source
Bird	Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis	The male cardinal is bright red and the female is brown and dull red. They live in Kentucky year-round.	1926	^[9]
Butterfly	Viceroy butterfly Limenitis archippus	Viceroys are a Müllerian mimic to the monarchs which birds avoid eating because they are toxic and distasteful. The butterfly is usually found all over the state, except in mountainous areas, from April until November.^[10]	1990	^[11]
Fish	Kentucky spotted bass Micropterus punctulatus	Similar to the largemouth bass, a common sporting fish that usually weighs up to 5 pounds (2.3 kg).	2005	^[12]
Flower	Goldenrod Solidago gigantea	The goldenrod has a yellow flower that blooms in late summer and early fall. It is also the state flower of Nebraska.	2023	^[13]
Fruit	Blackberry Rubus allegheniensis	This soft fruit is used to make jams, seedless jellies and wine.	2004	^[14]
Horse	Thoroughbred Equus caballus	A horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Over 30% of all U.S. thoroughbred births happen in Kentucky, more than any other state^[15]	1996	^[16]
Insect	Honey bee Apis mellifera	Official state insect in 17 states	2010	^[17]
Tree	Tulip poplar Liriodendron tulipifera	The tulip tree is also called the yellow poplar. It has a distinctive leaf shape and yellow, bell-shaped flowers.	1994	^[18]
Wild animal game species	Eastern gray squirrel Sciurus carolinensis	Predominantly gray fur but it can have a reddish, black or white color. It has a white underside and a large bushy tail.	1968	^[19]

Geology

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Source
Fossil	Brachiopod	Brachiopods are the most collected fossil in Kentucky. They resemble clams, but their top and bottom shell are not identical, and they don't burrow into the sand.^[20]	1986	^[21]
Gemstone	Freshwater pearl	The pearl is formed in several species of freshwater mussels. Originally found all over Kentucky, increased pollution, over-harvesting and damming of rivers have severely depleted the population of freshwater mussels.^[22]	1986	^[23]
Mineral	Coal	Kentucky is the third leading state in coal production.^[24]	1998	^[25]
Rock	Kentucky agate	Agate, a form of quartz, has varying shades of color arranged in layers of red, black, yellow, and gray.	2000	^[26]
Soil	Crider Soil Series	The Crider soils make up about 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) in Kentucky. Most areas are used for crops or pasture for corn, small grain, soybeans, tobacco, and hay.	1990	^[27]

Cultural

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Source
Beverage	Milk		2005		^[28]
Soft Drink	Ale-8-One	Kentucky House Bill 205 of the 2013 Regular Session signed by Governor (Acts Chapter 85) designated this regional, and historical citrus soda as a state symbol, the official soft drink of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.	2013		^[29]
Bluegrass song	"Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe	Kentucky native Bill Monroe wrote this song in 1947 and performed it soon thereafter. Elvis Presley sang the song when he auditioned for the Grand Ole Opry and later recorded it for his first single for Sun Records.	1988		^[30]
Dance	Clogging	Clogging in the southern U.S. has its roots from early settlers. English clogging, Irish jigs, African-American buck dance and Cherokee dance.^[31]	2006		^[32]
Gun	The Kentucky Long Rifle		2013		^[33]
Language	English	Over 95% of the state's residents are able to speak English.^[34]	1984	—	^[35]
Music	Bluegrass music	But it wasn't called bluegrass back then. It was just called old time mountain hillbilly music. When they started doing the bluegrass festivals in 1965, everybody got together and wanted to know what to call the show, y'know. It was decided that since Bill was the oldest man, and was from the Bluegrass state of Kentucky and he had the Blue Grass Boys, it would be called 'bluegrass.' — Don Harrison, ^[36]	2007		^[37]
Musical instrument	Appalachian dulcimer	A stringed instrument that appeared in the south in the early 19th century	2001		^[38]
Silverware pattern	Old Kentucky Blue Grass-The Georgetown Pattern		1996	—	^[39]
Song	"My Old Kentucky Home"	The song describes life on a Kentucky plantation.	1928		^[40]
Sports car	Chevrolet Corvette	Since 1981, the Chevrolet Corvette has been manufactured in Bowling Green.	2010		^[41]

References

General

"Kentucky's State Symbols". Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
"Kentucky State Symbols". State of Kentucky. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

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