The U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

 has 16 official emblems, as designated by the Idaho Legislature

Idaho Legislature

The Idaho Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Idaho. It consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. The Idaho Senate contains 35 Senators, who are elected from 35 districts...

. These symbols, which reflect the history and culture of the state

Culture of Idaho

Although the culture of Idaho is reflective of the broader culture of the United States to some extent, some of the forces that have shaped the culture of Idaho are ethnographic, geographic, and historical in nature...

, are often opportunities for politicians to "tie themselves to popular symbols", for teachers to highlight the legislative process to their students, and for lobbyists to "have their products given official designation".

Idaho's first official symbol was its seal

Seals of the U.S. states

The following gallery displays the official seals of the 50 states, federal district, and territories of the United States of America:-See also:* Coat of Arms of the U.S. States* Seals of Governors of the U.S. States* Flags of the U.S. states...

, adopted in 1863 when the Idaho Territory

Idaho Territory

The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 4, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Idaho.-1860s:...

 became an organized incorporated territory of the United States

Organized incorporated territories of the United States

Organized incorporated territories are those territories of the United States that are both incorporated and organized .Through most of U.S...

. The state's second symbol was its motto, which was chosen shortly after Idaho was admitted to the Union in 1890. Five additional symbols were added between 1900 and 1950, including three in 1931 alone. Six symbols were designated between 1950 and 2000, and three additional symbols have been added since 2000. Two symbols have been adopted that were proposed by students; the Appaloosa became the state horse in 1992 following a proposal from sixth-graders from Eagle, Idaho and in 1992 elementary school students in Boise introduced the Monarch butterfly  as the state insect. Idaho's most recent symbol is the Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...

, adopted as the state raptor in 2004.

While some of the symbols are unique to Idaho, others are used by multiple states. For example, the Mountain Bluebird

Mountain Bluebird

The Mountain Bluebird is a medium-sized bird weighing about 2-5 ounces, with a length from 15–20 cm . They have light underbellies and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter beneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast,...

, Idaho's state bird, is also an official symbol for Nevada. Idaho's state fish, Cutthroat trout

Cutthroat trout

The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout...

, is also an official symbol for Wyoming, while specific subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 of cutthroat are the state fish of Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The square dance

Square dance

Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...

 and Monarch are commonly used state dances and state insects (or in some cases state butterflies), respectively.

State symbols

Type	Symbol	Description	Adopted	Image
Bird	Mountain Bluebird Mountain Bluebird The Mountain Bluebird is a medium-sized bird weighing about 2-5 ounces, with a length from 15–20 cm . They have light underbellies and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter beneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast,... (Sialia currucoides)	Adopted as the state bird by the Idaho Legislature Idaho Legislature The Idaho Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Idaho. It consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. The Idaho Senate contains 35 Senators, who are elected from 35 districts...  in 1931, the Mountain Bluebird is one of two bluebird Bluebird The bluebirds are a group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Sialia of the thrush family . Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. They have blue, or blue and red, plumage...  species found in the state. Known for their bright blue plummage, these migratory birds Bird migration Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...  often arrive in Idaho in late February or early March, nest, then migrate south in September or early October.	1931
Dance	Square dance Square dance Square dance is a folk dance with four couples arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, beginning with Couple 1 facing away from the music and going counter-clockwise until getting to Couple 4. Couples 1 and 3 are known as the head couples, while Couples 2 and 4 are the side couples...		1989
Fish	Cutthroat trout Cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout is a species of freshwater fish in the salmon family of order Salmoniformes. It is one of the many fish species colloquially known as trout... (Oncorhynchus clarkii)	Native to Idaho, the cutthroat trout's name comes from the "distinctive red to orange slash" on the underside of its jaw. During an attempt to designate a state fish in 1988, critics of the cutthroat pointed out that the species was not found throughout the entire state. When the Legislature adopted the species in 1990, bill sponsor Mary Lou Reed called the cutthroat a "good symbol" of the state's "quality of life".	1990
Flag Flags of the U.S. states The flags of the U.S. states exhibit a wide variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as widely different styles and design principles. Modern state flags date from the 1890s when states wanted to have distinctive symbols at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago...	Flag of Idaho Flag of Idaho The flag of the state of Idaho consists of the state seal on a field of blue. The words "State of Idaho" appear in gold letters on a red and gold band below the seal...		1907
Flower	Syringa (Philadelphus lewisii Philadelphus lewisii Philadelphus lewisii is a deciduous shrub native to western North America, from northwestern California in the Sierra Nevada, north to southern British Columbia, and east to Idaho and Montana. It is widespread but not terribly common, usually appearing as an individual plant amongst other species... )		1931
Fossil	Hagerman Horse Hagerman Horse The Hagerman horse , also called the Hagerman zebra or the American zebra, was a North American species of equid from the Pliocene period and the Pleistocene period. It was one of the oldest horses of the genus Equus. Discovered in 1928 in Hagerman, Idaho, it is believed to have been like the... (Equus simplicidens)	The Hagerman Horse (species Equus simplicidens originally described as Plesippus shoshonensis) was declared the official state fossil of Idaho by the 1988 Legislature. A 3.5 million year old fossil bed near Hagerman Hagerman, Idaho Hagerman is a town in Gooding County, Idaho, United States. The population was 768 at the 2007 census.-Geography:Hagerman is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... , discovered in the 1920s, has yielded more than 30 complete horse skeletons and is said to be the "best known Pleistocene-epoch fossil site in the world". Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument near Hagerman, Idaho, contains the largest concentration of Hagerman Horse fossils in North America. The fossil horses for which the Monument is famous have been found in only one locale in the northern portion of the Monument called the Hagerman Horse Quarry... , specifically The Hagerman Horse Quarry The Hagerman Horse Quarry The Hagerman Horse Quarry is a paleontological site containing the largest concentration of Hagerman Horse fossils yet found. The quarry is within Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, located west of Hagerman, Idaho, USA, at the geographic division of the Snake River Plain... , contains the largest concentration of these fossils.	1988
Fruit	Huckleberry Huckleberry Huckleberry is a common name used in North America for several species of plants in two closely related genera in the family Ericaceae:* Vaccinium* GaylussaciaHuckleberry may also refer to:-Plants:...	Several huckleberry species are native to Idaho (all belonging to genus Vaccinium Vaccinium Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The fruit of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry or whortleberry, lingonberry or cowberry, and huckleberry... ), the most popular of which are black or thin-leaved huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum). The berries are difficult to grow commercially, as they can take up to 15 years to reach maturity, grow at specific elevations, and attempts to transplant often end in failure. However, attempts are underway to domesticate Domestication Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...  the berry. Students from Southside Elementary School proposed the huckleberry as the state fruit in 2000.	2000
Gem	Star garnet	Star garnet, found only in Idaho and India, was designated as the state gem in 1967.	1967
Horse	Appaloosa Appaloosa The Appaloosa is a horse breed best known for its colorful leopard-spotted coat pattern. There is a wide range of body types within the breed, stemming from the influence of multiple breeds of horses throughout its history. Each horse's color pattern is genetically the result of various spotting...	The Appaloosa breed became the state horse in 1975 following an introduction to the Legislature by sixth grade students from Eagle, Idaho.	1975
Insect	Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)	The Monarch became designated as the state insect after a bill proposed by fourth grade students at Cole Elementary in Boise Boise, Idaho Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...  was passed unanimously by State Senator State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's Senate, the upper house in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a legislator in Nebraska's one house State Legislature.There are typically fewer state senators than there are members of a state's lower house... s.	1992
Motto	Esto perpetua Esto perpetua Esto perpetua is the state motto of Idaho. The motto appears on the back of the 2007 Idaho quarter.The words are traced back to the Venetian theologian and mathematician Paolo Sarpi , also known as Fra Paolo...	Translating to "Let it be perpetual" or "It shall be perpetual", Idaho's official motto was designated soon after the state was admitted to the Union in 1890. The phrase Esto perpetua is attributed to the Venetian theologian Pietro Sarpi. The motto appears on the state's seal Seal of Idaho The Seal of the Territory of Idaho was adopted in 1863, and redrawn several times before statehood in 1890. The state Great Seal was designed by Emma Edwards Green, the only woman to design a state seal....  and on its quarter Quarter (United States coin) A quarter dollar, commonly shortened to quarter, is a coin worth ¼ of a United States dollar, or 25 cents. The quarter has been produced since 1796. The choice of 25¢ as a denomination, as opposed to 20¢ which is more common in other parts of the world, originated with the practice of dividing...  (as part of the 50 State Quarters 50 State Quarters The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of circulating commemorative coins by the United States Mint. Between 1999 and 2008, it featured each of the 50 U.S. states on unique designs for the reverse of the quarter....  program, which lasted from 1999–2008).	1890
Raptor	Peregrine Falcon Peregrine Falcon The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"... (Falco peregrinus)	Adopted as the state raptor by the Legislature in 2004, the Peregrine Falcon has a global distribution and can be found on each continent apart from Antarctica. Boise is home to the World Center for Birds of Prey World Center for Birds of Prey The World Center for Birds of Prey, is the headquarters for The Peregrine Fund, an international non-profit organization founded in 1970 that conserves endangered raptors around the world. Built in 1984, the World Center for Birds of Prey is located on on a hilltop overlooking Boise, Idaho... , the headquarters for The Peregrine Fund The Peregrine Fund The Peregrine Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 1970 that conserves threatened and endangered birds of prey. The successful recovery in the United States of the Peregrine Falcon, which was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1999 , enabled the organization to expand its... , a non-profit organization founded in 1970 that conserves threatened and endangered birds of prey Bird of prey Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh.... .	2004
Seal Seals of the U.S. states The following gallery displays the official seals of the 50 states, federal district, and territories of the United States of America:-See also:* Coat of Arms of the U.S. States* Seals of Governors of the U.S. States* Flags of the U.S. states...	Seal of Idaho Seal of Idaho The Seal of the Territory of Idaho was adopted in 1863, and redrawn several times before statehood in 1890. The state Great Seal was designed by Emma Edwards Green, the only woman to design a state seal....	The Idaho Territory Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 4, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Idaho.-1860s:...  seal was adopted in 1863 and redrawn several times before statehood in 1890. The Great Seal was designed by Emma Edwards Green, the only woman to design a state seal. The seal depicts a woman, signifying justice, and a miner along with cornucopias, a pine tree, sheaf of grain, syringa, an elk's head, wheat and other imagery associated with the state.	1863
Song		Music for the state song of Idaho was composed by Sallie Hume Douglas and copyrighted on November 4, 1915 under the name "Garden of Paradise". In 1917, University of Idaho University of Idaho The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...  student McKinley Helm wrote the verse which became the chorus, and Alice Bessee set the words to Douglas' music. The song, then known as "Our Idaho", became the University's alma mater Alma Mater (song) The alma mater is the generic title given to the official song or anthem of a school, college, or university.The official song may be referred to as the alma mater of the school, college or university, and it may be understood by those who know, which song is referred to.A frequently used tune for... . Albert J. Tompkins, Director of Music in the Boise Public Schools, wrote additional verses for the song, and in 1931 the Legislature designated "Here We Have Idaho" as the state song.	1931	—
Tree	Western White Pine Western White Pine Western White Pine, Pinus monticola in the family Pinaceae, is a species of pine that occurs in the mountains of the western United States and Canada, specifically the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range, the Coast Range, and the northern Rocky Mountains. The tree extends down to sea level in many... (Pinus monticola)	Adopted as a state symbol by the Legislature in 1935, Western White Pine is known for its "straight grain and soft even texture". In the United States, the largest remaining volume of this timber grows in Northern Idaho Idaho Panhandle The Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho... .	1935
Vegetable	Potato Potato The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...	The nation's leader in production, Idaho has become synonymous with potatoes Fourth grade students from Grand View Elementary school lead the effort for the symbol in 2002, writing to all 105 lawmakers pushing for the bill.	2002

Unsuccessful proposals

Several symbols have been proposed for addition to the list of official state symbols but were not adopted. Prior to the designation of the Cutthroat trout as the state fish, fourth grade students at Indian Creek Elementary School campaigned for the Rainbow trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

 and the Sturgeon

Sturgeon

Sturgeon is the common name used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common...

. Another unsuccessful symbol included the silver tipped sagebrush

Artemisia tridentata

Artemisia tridentata is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae. Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed...

 as the state bush. In the 2010s, a student proposal for the rattlesnake

Rattlesnake

Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...

as the state reptile was unsuccessful since farmer-legislators considered the snake a "pest".