THE GREAT STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA North Carolina Nicknames: The Old North State (Also our State Song) The state seal of North Carolina has had many changes since its origin in 1663. During colonial times North Carolina used four different seals successively. Since the war for independence, six different seals have been used. Liberty Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence Plenty Halifax Resolves Legislation added the date "April 12, 1776" in 1983 (the date of To be rather than to the Halifax Resolves; this date also appears on the state flag of North Carolina) to serve as a constant reminder of North seem Carolina's commitment to liberty https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/nort h-carolina/state-seal/seal-north-carolina State Tree Despite popular belief, no single species of pine is designated as the official tree of North Carolina. Many people believe that the longleaf pine is the state tree; indeed, many websites still list this species as one of North Carolina’s official symbols. This is probably due to the State Toast, which begins “Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine….” However, with eight species native to North Carolina (eastern white, loblolly, longleaf, pitch, pond, shortleaf, table mountain, and Virginia), the 1963 legislature decided not to favor one at the expense of the other seven. Nine other states (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico) have also designated the pine or a species of pine as their official state tree. https://www.ncpedia.org/tre e-pine State Flower The Dogwood blossom (Cornus florida L.) is the North Carolina State Flower. The other common names of Dogwood include American Dogwood and Flowering Dogwood. Dogwood is a native of North America and the south of northern New England, Minnesota, and Wyoming. Dogwood is one of the most popular ornamental trees appreciated for its beauty, and for its use as the background tree in landscaping. The characteristic feature of the Flowering Dogwood is its showy flowers that bloom in Spring https://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflo wers/stateflowers/north-carolina-state-flowers North Carolina designated the northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) as official state bird in 1943. Male cardinals are a brilliant scarlet red, females a buff brown with reddish wings; both have a jet-black mask, pronounced crest, and heavy bill. The cardinal sings nearly year-round, and the male aggressively defends his 4-acre territory (male cardinals have been seen attacking small red objects mistaken as other males). Northern cardinals breed 2-3 times each season. The female builds the nest and tends the hatchlings for about 10 days while the male brings food. The male State Bird then takes over the care of this first brood while the female moves on to a new nest and lays a second clutch of eggs. The cardinal is the state bird of 7 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/nort h-carolina/state-bird/northern-cardinal Honeybee North Carolina designated the European honeybee (Apis mellifera) as official state insect in 1973. Honeybees play an important role in North Carolina's State agricultural economy as pollinators of several major Insect cash crops (particularly cotton, alfalfa, fruits, and vegetables), and their production of honey and wax. Bee pollination is critical to plant and human survival - beeswax and honey are just surplus gifts from this tiny wonder of nature. The plant world expends a lot of energy attracting bees and other insects with brilliantly colored flowers and sweet nectar (nectar is produced The first bees appear in the fossil record dating solely to attract pollinating insects). The honeybee is 40 million years ago and the honeybee has recognized as an official state symbol in seventeen remained physically and socially unchanged for states, primarily because honeybees play such an 30 million years. Probably originating in tropical important role in agriculture. Africa, they were brought to the New World with the first Spanish and English colonists, quickly Honeybees live in hives of up to 80,000 individuals. A escaping to the wild and eventually populating hive consists of one queen bee (who can live 8 years the entire western hemisphere. American and lay over 1,500 eggs per day), a small group of male Indians called the honeybee "white man's flies. drones (on hand to fertilize a new queen on her nuptial flight, should one be produced), and the remaining vast majority of sterile female worker bees. https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/nort h-carolina/state-insect/honeybee First described in 1788, the squirrel contributed in its own small way to the survival of the North American colonies and the success of the Revolution. As an abundant game animal it provided a much needed food source, and some early chronicles suggested that the marksmanship necessary to successfully hunt such an elusive animal was a vital training ground for the citizen-soldiers who fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The squirrel is diurnal (that is, active during the day), and largely arboreal. Dens are in natural tree hollows or dreys (nests) made of twigs and branches. Being both adaptable and omnivorous, squirrels can flourish in hardwood forests, suburban woodlands, small parks, and even urban neighborhoods with shade trees. The gray squirrel may be found in all 100 counties of the state. Its range extends from Florida to southern Canada, and west as far as the Great Plains. Though their diet consists mostly of nuts and seeds, gray squirrels will also eat tree buds, bark, fruit, fungi, insects, eggs, and occasionally even small birds. During the autumn, squirrels will “scatter hoard” nuts (that is, bury them in multiple locations as a food source for the winter), thus not only creating their own food cache, State but also providing an ongoing means of reforestation, since many of the nuts they bury remain uneaten, and so have a chance to germinate. Mammal https://www.ncpedia.org/symbols/m ammal https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/nort h-carolina/state-reptile/eastern-box-turtle The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) was designated as the official state reptile of North Carolina in 1979. Listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the eastern box turtle should be monitored and protected to avoid further population decline. The eastern box turtle is found along the entire east coast of the U.S. and inland as far as Michigan, Kansas, State Reptile and Texas. The name was inspired by the box turtle's ability to retract its head and legs into its shell and clamp it shut, creating a protective "box." Eastern box turtles are omnivorous, with a varied diet of plants, roots, fish, snails, berries, fungi, and even small birds and snakes. Eastern box turtles can live to be over 100 years old (40 - 60 years is the average lifespan in the wild) https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/north- https://www.ncpedia.org/symbols/b carolina-state-beverage-milk/ everage Although many may expect North Carolina’s official state drink to be sweet tea, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation in 1987 that made milk the official state beverage. As of 2009, North Carolina ranked 31st in milk production among other states. North Carolina dairy farmers provided 892 million pounds of milk in 2008 and produced approximately $191.8 million in value. The top-producing counties in North Carolina are concentrated in the Piedmont and the western half of the state, with Iredell, Randolph, and Yadkin counties leading the way. As of 2009, approximately 45,000 milk-producing cows were in North Carolina. Along with being an excellent source of calcium, milk is also a great source of vitamins A & B, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and protein In making milk the official state beverage, North Carolina followed 17 other states, including both South Carolina and Virginia. North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in State Vegetable the United States. In 2009, North Carolina harvested almost one million pounds of potatoes. The sweet potato was grown in North Carolina by the The sweet potato, often called a yam, is easy to grow in Native Americans long before the European colonization of North Carolina, and it was a staple in the Native American North America. Some scientist believe that sweet potatoes diet. The Creek, Cherokee, and Saura Indian tribes were might have even been a food source for the dinosaurs. three tribes that more than likely depended on the North Carolina is the number one state in sweet potato vegetable for its high nutritional value. The sweet potato, production, growing nearly half of the country’s sweet we now know, is an excellent source of vitamins A and C potatoes. Wilson and Johnston counties are the top and is low in fat. North Carolina leads all other states in sweet potato producers, but there are more than 60,000 acres spread production, throughout the state. The majority of production is located in the coastal plain because of its sandy soil and temperate climate. Surprisingly, the sweet potato is not at all related to the potato. The sweet potato belongs to the root family, while the potato is a tuber. Sweet potatoes are frequently confused with yams, though these are also two distinctly different vegetables. While sweet potatoes are indigenous to North America, the yam comes from West Africa and Asia. https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/north- carolina-state-vegetable-sweet-potato/ https://ncpedia.org/symbols/veg etable State Sport Stock Car Racing North Carolina designated stock car racing as the official state sport in 2011.