North Carolina State Symbols

North Carolina was one of the 13 original colonies of the United States and is a place of great natural diversity. Because of its unique geography and climate, North Carolina has a wider variety of plants, animals, rocks, and minerals than most other states. The North Carolina General Assembly has adopted state symbols that honor our natural and cultural heritage.

Mammal
Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Gray squirrels are found statewide in forests, city parks, and yards with shade trees. Squirrels build bulky nests of twigs and leaves on tree limbs, but they may also use nest boxes or natural cavities. Young are born in spring, and often another litter is produced in the summer. These popular game animals often bury acorns and other seeds that may germinate and grow into trees. Adopted 1969.

Tree
Pine Pinus sp.
There are eight native species of pine in North Carolina. The shortleaf pine is nearly statewide in distribution. White, pitch, Virginia, and Table Mountain pines are characteristic of the mountains and western Piedmont. Loblolly, pond, and longleaf pines are more typical of the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont. Pines provide not only food for birds, squirrels, and various small animals, but also lumber, pulpwood for papermaking, and resins for varnishes and many other commercial products. Prior to 1900 the production of naval stores such as tar and turpentine was important to the economy of eastern North Carolina. Adopted 1963.

Flower
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
The dogwood's small, greenish-white flowers are clustered at the center of each group of four large, white bracts, which are often mistaken for petals. Flowering dogwood grows naturally as a small tree in the understory of our forests, and it is a popular choice for landscaping homes, parks, and roadsides. During fall and winter, many kinds of birds and small mammals eat the shiny red fruits. Adopted 1941.

Bird
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Permanent residents throughout the state, cardinals nest in woodland margins and residential shrubbery, with first clutches of eggs usually laid before the end of April. The bright red male and the brownish-red female both assist in caring for the young. Two or three broods may be raised each season. Adopted: 1943

Rock
Granite
The 90-acre granite quarry located outside Mount Airy in Surry County is the world's largest open-faced granite quarry. Granite from this quarry has been used to build such well-known structures as the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk and the U.S. Gold Bullion Depository at Fort Knox. Adopted 1979.

Reptile
Eastern Box Turtle
Terrapene carolina
This well-known turtle is most common in and near wooded areas. In most cases, a box turtle does not try to bite when picked up. Instead, it draws in its head, feet, and tail, and closes its hinged shell tightly. Box turtles are mature and capable of mating at five years old. Females dig holes in the ground with their hind legs, lay their eggs, and cover them with soft dirt. Hatching turtles dig their way out of the burrow and are able to live on their own. Fully grown at 20 years, box turtles may live for 80 years or longer. Adopted 1979.

Insect
Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Not a native species, the honey bee was brought to North America by settlers from Europe. Honey, which bees produce to feed the colony, is a natural sweetener. In the process of gathering nectar to make honey, bees pollinate seed-bearing plants that provide us with food and with fiber for clothing. Adopted 1973.

Shell
Scotch Bonnet
Phalium granulatum
This shell is produced by a marine snail that lives in shallow water. Large and distinctive in its appearance, the scotch bonnet is china white to creamy in color with yellow to brown spiral bands. After the snail dies, its shell may be occupied by a hermit crab. Adopted 1965.

Saltwater fish
Channel Bass
Sciaenops ocellatus
Each spring and fall, pier and surf fishermen expect to catch channel bass weighing 40 to 50 pounds. Often called the red drum because of its copper-red color, the channel bass may live as long as 30 years and reach a length of five feet. These fish spawn in coastal waters near inlets and bays. Wind and water currents carry the newly hatched larvae to nursery areas in the estuary. Within six to eight months, the young fish move to salt water. Adopted 1971.

Dog
Plott Hound
Canis familiaris
This breed originated in the mountains about 1750 and is the only breed native to the state. The plott hound is a hunting dog with a bugle-like call. Adopted 1989.

Beverage
Milk
North Carolina dairy farmers produce 179 million gallons of milk per year, bringing in $228 million annually. Adopted 1987.

Historic Boat
Shad Boat
Developed at Roanoke Island, the shad fishing boat was known for its maneuverability. Well- constructed from native trees such as cypress or juniper (Atlantic white cedar), some century-old shad boats can still be seen around Manteo and Hatteras. Adopted 1987.

The State Song
The Old North State
William Gaston
Carolina! Carolina! Heaven's blessings attend her, While we live we will cherish, protect and defend her, Tho' the scorner may sneer at and witlings defame her, Still our hearts swell with gladness whenever we name her. Chorus: Hurrah! Hurrah! the Old North State forever, Hurrah! Hurrah! the good Old North State. Tho' she envies not others, their merited glory, Say whose name stands the foremost, in liberty's story Tho' too true to herself e'er to crouch to oppression, Who can yield to just rule a more loyal submission. (Repeat chorus) Then let all those who love us, love the land that we live in, As happy a region as on this side of heaven, Where plenty and peace, love and joy smile before us, Raise aloud, raise together the heart-thrilling chorus. (Repeat chorus) Adopted: 1927

The State Toast
by Leonora Martin and Mary Burke Kerr
(1904)

Here's to the land of the longleaf pine,
The summer land where the sun doth shine,
Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great,
Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!
Here's to the land of the cotton bloom white,
Where the scuppernong perfumes the breeze at night,
Where the soft southern moss and jessamine mate,
'Neath the murmuring pines of the Old North State!
Here's to the land where the galax grows,
Where the rhododendron's rosette glows,
Where soars Mount Mitchell's summit great,
In the "Land of the Sky," in the Old North State!
Here's to the land where maidens are fair,
Where friends are true and cold hearts rare,
The near land, the dear land whatever fate,
The best land, the best land, the Old North State!

Adopted: 1957

State Flag
The state flag was adopted by the Legislature of 1885 to replace the state's first flag, which had been adopted in 1861. All state institutions, public buildings, and courthouses must display the state flag.

State Seal
Since colonial times, nine different seals have been used for certifying official state documents. The Great Seal of North Carolina now in use was ratified May 2, 1983. The seal depicts the figures of Liberty, representing freedom, and Plenty, representing the bounty of our state. In the background are mountains and a side view of a three-masted ship on the ocean. The two dates on the seal and on the state flag mark the signing of two documents calling for independence from Great Britain. May 20, 1775, is the date of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, and April 12, 1776, marks the adoption of the Halifax Resolves.

The state motto "Esse Quam Videri" is Latin for "to be rather than to seem."

Adapted from "North Carolina the State and Its Symbols", a publication of the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences