Getting to Know Idaho #1

Everyone knows that each state has it's own flag. But did you know that they also have flowers, birds, horses, you name it. Now you get to know those picked by Idaho.

State Flag & Seal
Adopted by the legislature in 1907.
The state seal was designed by Emma Edwards Green

State Bird: The Mountain Bluebird (Sialia arctcia)
adopted as the state bird for Idaho by the state legislature in 1931. The Bluebird is about seven inches long, has an azure blue coat, and a blue vest with white under-feathers. The mother bird wears a quiet blue-gray dress and usually lays six or seven blue-white eggs. The bluebird's nest is usually built in a hollow tree or in a crevice. The Bluebird is very neat about its home and carries all refuse some distance from the nest.

State Flower: The Syringa (Philadelphus lewissii)
Was designated the state flower of Idaho by the legislature in 1931. It is a branching shrub up to 12 feet tall with clusters of white, fragrant flowers that boom in late spring to early summer. The blossoms are similar to the mock orange, have four petals, and the flowers grow at the ends of short, leafy branches.


State Tree: Western White Pine (Pinus Monticola pinaceae)
Our state tree is probably most notable since the largest remaining stand of this timber in the United States grows in the northern part of Idaho. Tall and slender, the Western White Pine is native to forests of the Pacific Northwest from British columbia to Montana and as far south as central California. It has blue-green needles, slender cones and can grow to 100 ft. It has many other fine qualities such as straight grain and soft, even texture. The Western White Pine was named Idaho's state tree in 1935.



State Horse: Appaloosa
Was the first horse breed to be acquired by the Nez Perce tribe around the 1700's leading to the tribe developing into excellent horsemen and breeders. Settlers began to refer to their horses as "a Palouse horse" in reference to the Palouse River in north Central Idaho. The term evolved from that to "Palousey", "Appalousey" and finally "Appaloosa". An Appaloosa Horse Club was chartered in 1938 and has become one of the leading equine breed registries in the world. The Appaloosa was named Idaho's state horse in 1975 because of its importance to Idaho history.

I know it's not riveting reading, but I'm just trying to share. If you want to find out even more you can check out Visit Idaho.

And don't worry there won't be a test to follow.


excerps taken from visitidaho.com