8 Lesser Known VA State Symbols

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1. State Dog Breed

AmericanFoxhound
The American foxhound is trained to sniff out and hunt foxes. Despite their hunting instincts, they are pretty friendly with other animals and children.

2. State Fresh Water Fish

broktrout
Our state fresh water fish is the brook trout. The brook trout is a member of the salmon family and was a very popular fish in colonial times.

3. State Salt Water Fish

stripedbass
Apparently, we’re not done with fish yet. The striped bass or “rockfish” is a very popular state fish. Maryland, Rhode Island and South Carolina all share the striped bass as an official state fish. Not to be left out, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Virginia all decided they needed a “state salt water fish” that is coincidentally the exact same fish.

4. State Insect

tigerswallowtail
The Eastern tiger swallowtail is the state butterfly for South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Delaware. Which is kind of a cop-out. We’re the only one who thought the Eastern tiger swallowtail worthy of the state insect title.

5. State Shell

eaternoystershell
The Eastern oyster shell is the state shell for Virginia, Mississippi and Connecticut. The formal name for this shell is “crassostrea virginica” so I don’t know what Mississippi and Connecticut were thinking.

6. State Bat

Townsends_big-eared_bat_(6009732560)
Our state bat is the Townsend’s big-eared bat. There are only three state bats in the US and two of them are the Mexican free-tailed bat, so at least we’re original!

7. State Fossil

scallopfossil
Our state fossil is “Chesapecten jeffersonius”. It is a scallop shell that was the first North American fossil to be illustrated in a scientific publication.

8. State Tartan

tartan_virginia_quadricentennial
Photo: statesymbolsusa.org
The Virginia Quadricentennial Tartan is now the official Virginia Tartan thanks to Governor Tim Kaine and was chosen for its resemblance to our state tree the dogwood. It is registered with The Scottish Register of Tartans.

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy 10 Reasons CVillians Rock! and The 10 Best Museums to Explore in RVA.

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Maggie Comeau, Content Manager

Maggie Comeau is the content manager of Scoutology. Her favorite things to write about are sweets, brunch and burgers.

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