List of Kentucky state symbols
{{Short description|Iconography of the Commonwealth of Kentucky}}
File:Kentucky in United States.svg in the United States of America]]
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.{{cite web | url=http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/002-00/CHAPTER.HTM | title=Kentucky Revised Statutes: Title I, Chapter 2 | publisher=Kentucky Legislature | access-date=September 1, 2010 | archive-date=June 29, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629220132/http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/002-00/CHAPTER.HTM | url-status=dead }} 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
{{Further|List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia}}
Species
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| style="width:16%;"| Type
! style="width:30%;"| Symbol ! style="width:40%;"| Description ! style="width:13%;"| Year ! style="width:13%;"| Image ! style="width:10%;"| Source |
|---|
| Bird
|Cardinal |The male cardinal is bright red and the female is brown and dull red. They live in Kentucky year-round. |1926 |
| Butterfly
|Viceroy butterfly |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.{{cite web | url=http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1788 | title=Viceroy | work=Butterflies and Moths of North America | publisher=Montana State University | access-date=August 31, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100909172821/http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1788 | archive-date=September 9, 2010 }} |1990 |
| Fish
|Kentucky spotted bass |Similar to the largemouth bass, a common sporting fish that usually weighs up to {{convert|5|lb|kg}}. |2005 |
| Flower
|Goldenrod |The goldenrod has a yellow flower that blooms in late summer and early fall. It is also the state flower of Nebraska. |2023 |
| Fruit
|Blackberry |This soft fruit is used to make jams, seedless jellies and wine. |2004 |
| Horse
|Thoroughbred |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{{cite web | url=http://www.jockeyclub.com/factbook.asp?section=4 | title=Distribution of registered US foal crop by state | publisher=The Jockey Club | access-date=August 30, 2010 | archive-date=December 5, 2003 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031205171259/http://www.jockeyclub.com/factbook.asp?section=4 | url-status=live }} |1996 |
| Insect
|Honey bee |Official state insect in 17 states |2010 |
| Tree
|Tulip poplar |The tulip tree is also called the yellow poplar. It has a distinctive leaf shape and yellow, bell-shaped flowers. |1994 |
| Wild animal game species
|Eastern gray squirrel |Predominantly gray fur but it can have a reddish, black or white color. It has a white underside and a large bushy tail. |1968 |File:Eastern Grey Squirrel in St James's Park, London - Nov 2006 edit.jpg |
Geology
Cultural
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| style="width:16%;"| Type
! style="width:30%;"| Symbol ! style="width:40%;"| Description ! style="width:13%;"| Year ! style="width:13%;"| Image ! style="width:10%;"| Source |
|---|
| Beverage
|Milk | |2005 |
| Soft Drink
|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 | |
| Bluegrass song
|"Blue Moon of Kentucky" |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 |File:BlueMoonOfKentucky.ogg performs "Blue Moon of Kentucky"]] |
| |Dance
|Clogging in the southern U.S. has its roots from early settlers. English clogging, Irish jigs, African-American buck dance and Cherokee dance.{{cite news|title=Cloggers shuffle and skip to save Appalachian tradition |last=Charlton |first=Angela |newspaper=Associated Press |date=June 1997 |url=http://www.aldha.org/clogging.htm |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311002219/http://www.aldha.org/clogging.htm |archive-date=March 11, 2012 }} |2006 |
| Gun
|The Kentucky Long Rifle | |2013 |Image:John_Spitzer_-_Kentucky_Rifle_-_Walters_511434_-_Side_A.jpg |
| Language
|English |Over 95% of the state's residents are able to speak English.{{cite web | url=https://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t37/tab19b.xls | title=Ability to Speak English by Language Spoken at Home for the Population 18 Years and Over | publisher=U.S. Census Bureau | access-date=August 31, 2010}} |1984 |— |
| Music
|{{blockquote|text=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.'|sign=Don Harrison|source={{cite news | title=Old-Time Man | publisher=Virginia Living | last=Harrison | first=Don | date=June 2008 | pages=55–57}}}} |2007 |
| Musical instrument
|A stringed instrument that appeared in the south in the early 19th century |2001 |
| Silverware pattern
|Old Kentucky Blue Grass-The Georgetown Pattern | |1996 |— |
| |Song
|The song describes life on a Kentucky plantation. |1928 |
| Sports car
|Since 1981, the Chevrolet Corvette has been manufactured in Bowling Green. |2010 |
See also
- {{portal-inline|Kentucky}}
References
;General
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite web|url=http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/KYSymbols.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703084450/http://www.kdla.ky.gov/resources/KYSymbols.htm |archive-date=July 3, 2007 |title=Kentucky's State Symbols |publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives |access-date=August 30, 2010 |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite web|url=http://kentucky.gov/Pages/symbols.aspx |title=Kentucky State Symbols |publisher=State of Kentucky |access-date=August 31, 2010 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204075513/http://kentucky.gov/Pages/symbols.aspx |archive-date=February 4, 2012 }}
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