State
Bird
Blue Hen Chicken
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The
Blue Hen Chicken was adopted as Delaware's state bird on April 14,
1939. During the Revolutionary War, the soldiers of Captain Jonathan
Caldwell's company took game chickens with them. The chickens were
said to be from a famous blue hen and were known for their fighting
ability. When the soldiers were not fighting the enemy, they enjoyed
watching the Blue Hen Chickens get into cockfights. The cockfights
were so famous that in battle, the soldiers who fought aggressively
were compared to the Blue Hen Chickens.
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State
Flower
Peach Blossom
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The
peach blossom belongs to the rose family. There are almost 300 varieties
grown in America. This flower appears before the leaves on a peach
tree. The flowers measure 1½ inches across and can be pink, red,
or white. The peach blossom was adopted as Delaware's state flower
on May 9, 1895. At that time Delaware's orchards contained more
than 800,000 peach trees making a crop worth thousands of dollars.
Unfortunately, changes in the weather in Delaware have ruined many
peach trees.
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State
Tree
American Holly
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The
American Holly was adopted as Delaware's state tree on May 1, 1939.
It is one of Delaware's most important forest trees. It is known as
the Christmas Holly or Evergreen Holly. There are more than 300 species
of Hollies. The American Holly has dark, thorny leaves and poisonous
red berries. It can reach up to 60 feet in height and the trunk measures
up to 20 inches in diameter. The hard wood of the Holly tree is used
for making musical instruments, furniture, and interior decorations,
especially at Christmas time.
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State Flag
Click
on flag for larger view.
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The
Delaware state flag was adopted on July 24, 1913. The background is
colonial blue surrounding a diamond of buff color. These were the
colors of the uniforms of the brave Revolutionary War soldiers. The
diamond was a symbol of Delaware's great worth during the Revolutionary
War, even though it was a small state. Inside the diamond is the state
seal, which shows the work of the people of Delaware in early times.
On the left is a farmer. He represents the hard work of the people
on their farms. On the right is a soldier defending the rights of
the people. The shield between them contains three symbols of Delaware's
value as a farming state: an ox, an ear of corn, and a sheave of wheat.
The wheat symbol comes from William Penn's seal. He was the founder
of Pennsylvania who also wrote about the Lenni Lenape Indians of Delaware.
There is a ship at the top that represents the job of shipbuilders
in Delaware. Below the shield is the state motto:
"Liberty and Independence." Liberty means freedom, and independence
means able to survive on your own without the control of others. These
two ideas have been very important to the people of Delaware. Below
the flag is the date December 7, 1787. This date refers to when the
state joined the union.
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