Symbols of South Carolina - List of State Symbols

List of State Symbols

State symbols (year adopted):

• State Amphibian: Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) – The spotted salamander is the only amphibian indigenous to the whole state and was nominated by a third grade class from Woodlands Heights Elementary School, Spartanburg, as the state amphibian. (1999)

• State Animal: White-tailed Deer – Every county in South Carolina features an open season on deer. (1972)

• State Beverages
  • State beverage: Milk – Milk was selected as the official beverage of the state because of its dietary value and since dairy farms are found in 39 of 46 counties. The dairy industry in South Carolina generates $200 million in economic activity. (1984)
  • State Hospitality Beverage: Tea – The first place that tea was grown in the United States was in South Carolina in 1799. Which is still grown on Wadmalaw Island. The only one in the US(1995)

• State Birds
  • State Bird: Carolina Wren – The mockingbird was designated the state bird from 1939 until 1948, when the wren received the designation. The wren was chosen as the state bird because its song can be heard all year long. (1948)
  • State Wild Game Bird: Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) – Hunted during a spring season, wild turkeys are found throughout the state. (1976)
  • State Duck: Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) – The wood duck is also known as the summer duck and the Carolina duck. (2009)

• State Butterfly: Eastern tiger swallowtail – English artist Mark Catesby painted the first picture of this butterfly in South Carolina in 1725. (1994)

• State Color: Indigo Blue – The color indigo blue comes from the uniforms of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment, led by Colonel William Moultrie. The state flag is Indigo blue in remembrance of this regiment and the Palmetto tree on the flag recalls their successful defense of Charleston using a fort built of palmetto logs. (2008)

• State Craft: Sweetgrass Basket weaving – Sweetgrass (Muhlenbergia filipes), being native to the coastal dunes of the Carolinas, provided the perfect material for African slaves to utilize their traditional skills and produce a tightly-woven coiled basket. This handcraft has been passed down through generations and a high concentration of basket weavers is still found near Mount Pleasant. To this day, the form of the sweetgrass baskets woven in South Carolina closely resemble their African counterparts.

• State Dances
  • State Dance: Shag – The shag was selected as the state dance because it originated in South Carolina. (1984)
  • State American Folk Dance: Square Dance – Square dancing is recognized for its contributions to the cultural life of South Carolina. (1994)
  • State Waltz: Richardson Waltz – The state waltz originated from the descendants of Richard Richardson, an American revolutionary war general. (2000)

• State Dog: Boykin Spaniel – The Boykin spaniel was first bred in South Carolina near Spartanburg.

• State Grass: Indian Grass, Sorghastrum nutans – The General Assembly wrote that Indian grass is "a native, nonnoxious plant, with a historical, continuing, widespread, and beneficial existence in South Carolina." (2001)

• State Fish: striped bass or rockfish – Thirty to forty pound striped bass can be caught in the Santee Cooper lakes, making bass fishing a popular pastime. (1972)

• State Flowers
  • State Flower: Yellow Jessamine – The return of yellow jessamine each spring is thought to suggest the lesson of "constancy in, loyalty to and patriotism in the service of the State."
  • State Wildflower: Goldenrod (solidago altissima) – With a long bloom time and long lasting flowers, Goldenrod was selected as the "official state wildflower."

• State Fruit: Peach – South Carolina is the second largest producer of peaches, behind California and ahead of Georgia (the Peach State). (1984)

• State Gemstone: Amethyst – South Carolina is one of a few U.S. states where good quality amethyst gems can be found. (1969)

• State Heritage Horse: Carolina Marsh Tacky – "The Marsh Tacky, a rare colonial Spanish horse breed unique to South Carolina, has played a significant role in South Carolina's history. After abandonment by the Spanish on the South Carolina Sea Islands and along the South Carolina coast some five hundred years ago, the Marsh Tacky survived on its own and developed into a unique strain of colonial Spanish horse." (2010)

• State Heritage Work Animal: Mule (2010)

• State Insect: Carolina Mantid (Stagmomantis Carolina) – One reason that the Carolina mantid was selected as the state insect is for its use in agriculture in managing harmful insects. (1988)

• State Marine Mammal: Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Both the state marine mammal and state migratory marine mammal were designated by Act Number 58 of 2009 (2009)
  • State Migratory Marine Mammal: Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) The right whale can be found off the South Carolina coast during the breeding and calving season. (2009)

• State Mottos:
  • Dum spiro spero (While I breathe, I hope), and
  • Animis opibusque parati (Ready in soul and resource) – Both state mottos are shown on the state seal which depicts the defeat of the British on Sullivan's Island in 1776. (1777)

• State Music: Spiritual – Spirituals are songs that originated in the oral traditions of African-American slaves. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is one of the best known examples. Spirituals were first written down on St. Helena Island during the Civil War. (1999)

• State Popular Music: Beach Music – Beach music is closely associated with the state dance, the Shag, and is also considered to have originated in Myrtle Beach. (2001)

• State Reptile: Loggerhead Sea Turtle – The Loggerhead is a threatened species that nests on the shores of South Carolina. (1988)

• State Shell: Lettered Olive, Oliva sayana – The Lettered olive was found and named by a South Carolinian, Dr. Edmund Ravenel of Charleston. (1984)

• State Snack: Boiled peanuts – Boiled peanuts are a popular snack food in the Southern U.S.

• State Songs:
  • "Carolina" (1911), and
  • "South Carolina On My Mind" (1984) – Both state songs were written by South Carolinians.

• State Spider: "Carolina Wolf Spider", Hogna carolinensis – The state spider was the idea of a third grade student as a way for other students to learn more about this native spider. (2000)

• State Stone: Blue Granite – Many buildings throughout the state have been constructed with blue granite mined here. (1969)

• State Tartan: The Carolina Tartan – The Carolina tartan recognizes the heritage of Scottish settlers in South Carolina, who began immigrating here in the late seventeenth century. (2002)

• State Tapestry: The tapestry, "From the Mountains to the Sea" – The state tapestry, on display at the South Carolina Cotton Museum, depicts scenes of the state on a cotton fabric fifty-four inches wide by seventy-two inches long. (2000)

• State Tree: Sabal palmetto – The palmetto has been a symbol for South Carolina since the American Revolutionary War when it was used to build a fort on Sullivan's Island that withstood British attack. The palmetto tree appears on the first symbol of the state, the seal created in 1777. It was officially named the state tree in 1939. (1939)