Everything About the Symbols of Pennsylvania

The Whitetail is a noble and proud animal that solved the survival problems of early settlers by providing them with food and clothing. The deer is also an intelligent animal with character & endurance.

Mountain Laurel is one of the native and most beautiful evergreen shrubs of the Penn Woods. It was selected as the State flower of Pennsylvania by governor Gifford Pinchot in 1930.

Though almond cookie fossils dating around 405 million years ago were found around the area, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts share the chocolate chip cookie as their official state cookie.

Milk was adopted as the state beverage of Pennsylvania to promote its extensive farm produce and to support North Carolina farmers and cows due to the recommendation of the state’s milk commission in 1982.

Pennsylvania is the only American state to have a beautification and conservation plant as its official state plant. This hardy plant is used around the state as food for livestock, erosion controller, and for building rich soil in farms, or gardens.

The Eastern Hemlock is a slow-growing tree that can take 200 to 300 years to reach maturity. The long-lived tree is a common sight in the PennWoods that can live for a minimum of 800 years.

Apart from hunting the white-tailed deer for survival, the early Pennsylvania settlers also relied on these fleshy and plump birds for food. The birds are still a common part of the Pennsylvanian ecosystem.

The German origin dog was chosen over a Beagle as the official state dog of the Pennsylvania state, not because of its origin but because the early settlers relied on this breed to protect their farms and houses.

The only native trout available in abundance along the 4000 miles of the widespread Pennsylvanian lakes are the Brook Trouts. They were adopted as the state fish in 1970.

The Upper Darby town’s elementary students sent fireflies as their selection for the state insect after reading an article about Maryland adopting a state insect. The General Assembly accepted the submission in 1974.

The motto reflects the belief, hope, and attitude of New Yorkers following the outbreak of the War of Independence in 1775 that lasted till 1783.

Do you know that apart from the above three, pretzels, Hershey’s kisses, Lebanon bologna, apple butter, tastykake, Reese peanut butter cups, Twizzlers, and many other famous snacks were invented in Pennsylvania?

Sir William Penn named Pennsylvania after his father Admiral Sir William Penn and because Penn means ‘Head’ in Welsh while ‘Sylvania’ meant ‘woodlands’ in Latin.

Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts are the only states to adopt this terminology as an alternative for a state to show how the government prioritizes the public.

The seal of Pennsylvania consists of a bald eagle, a ship that represents trade to all parts of the world, and three golden sheaves of wheat showing the state’s abundant agricultural riches.