State
Bird
Cardinal
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The
cardinal is about 7 to 9 inches long and lives in the eastern half
of North America. Males are red with some gray. The females are
less colorful and build their nests from weed stems, twigs, bark,
leaves, and paper. They lay about three or four eggs. They feed
on weed seeds, wild fruit, grain, worms, and beetles. The cardinal's
song sounds like a flute. It became Virginia's state bird in 1950.
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State
Flower
Flowering Dogwood
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You
can see these beautiful blossoms all over the state. That is one
reason why the flowering Dogwood became Virginia's state flower
in 1956. The Dogwood blooms from early spring into the summer months.
In
the spring it produces a small greenish-white or yellow flower surrounded
by large, white or pink leaves. The leaves contain calcium.
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State
Tree
Flowering Dogwood
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The flowering dogwood tree is found in the eastern part of the United
States. The dogwood is an attractive winter tree that grows to about
40 feet tall or 18 inches in diameter. In the spring it produces
a small greenish-white or yellow flower surrounded by large, white
or pink leaves. The leaves contain calcium. The flowering dogwood
was chosen as Virginia's state tree in 1918. In 1956 it was adopted
as the state flower also.
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State
Flag
Click
on flag to view larger image.
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The
Virginia seal is on its blue flag. This seal has been used by Virginia
since 1776, when the colonists were fighting for independence from
England. It is shown in the center of the flag. There is a ribbon
below the seal with the state motto
written in Latin: Sic Semper Tyrannis. This means "Thus Ever to
Tyrants." The two people on the seal are showing the meaning of
the motto. They are dressed as ancient Roman warriors of long ago.
The woman is Virtue, which means moral goodness. She stands for
Queen Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen of England. The state of Virginia
is named after her. The man is holding a whip and a chain, showing
that he is a tyrant (a powerful and cruel ruler of people). They
just had a battle, and the tyrant was defeated. This picture shows
that virtue has defeated tyranny. This flag shows that the people
of Virginia believed that virtue (or goodness) was more powerful
than tyranny. When the American colonies
won their independence from Great Britain, they defeated King George
III, who they believed was a tyrant. This flag was adopted in 1930.
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