State Bird
Meadow lark

The western meadowlark is 16 centimeters tall with black, yellow, white, brown, and blue feathers. It lives in the Rocky Mountains. It has a high-pitched song. The western meadowlark is known for being really loud and almost never lonely. The western meadowlark is important to the state of Montana because the children voted for the bird to be the state bird. The western meadowlark became the state bird of Montana in 1931.
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The bitterroot is 1 to 3 centimeters tall with pink petals. It grows in the gravelly to heavy foothill areas, usually in dry soil. The bitterroot is known for blooming in the season of spring. The bitterroot is important in the state of Montana because it was useful for people to eat. The Shoshone and Flathead natives ate them. The bitterroot became the state flower of Montana on February 27, 1895.
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The Ponderosa Pine is 50 meters tall, with green needles. It grows west of the Pacific and south of central Mexico. The Ponderosa Pine is known for feeding the Native Americans with its seeds. The Ponderosa Pine is important in the state of Montana because it’s the main tree in most forests and it’s their state tree. The Ponderosa Pine became the state tree of Montana in 1949.

The Montana flag has a blue background with the name of the state written in gold letters. In the center is the state seal showing the beautiful mountains, forests, rivers, and sunset of Montana. There is a ribbon on the seal with Spanish words that say “Ore-y-Plata.” These words are the state motto, and in English they mean “Silver and Gold.” This is a symbol of the search for gold during the 1860’s. There is also a picture of a pick and a shovel, which were used at that time. The Montana flag was adopted in 1944. It is the flag chosen to represent all the people.

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