State
Bird
Purple Finch
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A
Finch is a small songbird. Finches live on every continent except
Antarctica and are also found on most ocean islands. Some finches
have bright red and yellow colors. The striped brown colors of the
female Purple Finch are similar to a sparrow, but the head, breast,
and belly of the male are raspberry red. They can be five to six inches
tall and are built to eat large seeds. Finches sing a beautiful song,
even while they are flying. The Purple Finch was adopted as New Hampshire's
state bird in 1957.
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State
Flower
Purple Lilac
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The
lilac is a beautiful shrub that can grow to about 20 feet high.
It has tiny white or purple flowers that grow in clusters and give
off a sweet fragrance. Lilacs can grow in many parts of the world,
but in the northern states, most lilacs bloom in May. "Lilac" is
also the name of a light purple color. The lilac was adopted as
New Hampshire's state flower in 1919.
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State
Tree
White Birch
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The
birch tree grows in North America, Europe, and Northern Asia. The
White Birch is also called the Paper Birch. It has a narrow trunk
and very thin bark, which is light enough to write on. The Native
Americans used to make canoes out of the White Birch bark, and some
still make ornaments and baskets out of it. The White Birch can grow
60 to 80 feet tall and produces scaly spikes, which contain tiny flowers.
The White Birch was adopted as New Hampshire's state tree in 1947.
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State Flag
Click
on flag to view
larger image.
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New
Hampshire's state flag has a navy blue background with the state seal
in the center. The seal is surrounded by a decorative laurel wreath
and nine stars that show New Hampshire was the 9th state to accept
the U.S. Constitution. The laurel wreath is a symbol of honor. Ancient
Greek people used these branches to award their heroes. The seal shows
a picture of the Revolutionary War ship
"Raleigh," which was built in Portsmouth in 1776. We can see the United
States flag as it was then, flying on this ship. The ship is standing
in the harbor of Portsmouth, and the rising sun behind it shows the
importance of many ships that were built there during the Revolutionary
War. The picture of a granite boulder in the lower lefthand corner
represents the state's rough land and rugged coastline. It is also
a symbol of the sturdy character of the people of New Hampshire. Granite
is a kind of very strong rock that is found in New Hampshire, which
is known as the Granite State. The year 1776 appears on the bottom
of the seal. This is the year that the Declaration
of Independence was signed. This flag was adopted in 1909. Some
of the details in the seal were changed in 1931.
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