The word Vermont comes from Vert Mont, the French words for Green Mountain.

	Animal The Morgan Horse was designated as the official state animal on March 23, 1961. The very first Morgan horses were bred from a stallion owned by Justin Morgan of Randolph. The breed soon became known for its ability to "outdraw, outrun, and outtrot" any other horse.
	Beverage Milk was designated as the official state beverage on April 22, 1983. Milk production is the state's leading agricultural enterprise. In fact, at one time, there were more cows in Vermont than there were people.
	Bird The Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) became the official state bird on June 1, 1941. It was selected because it has a distinctive sweet call, and because it is found in all of Vermont's fourteen counties.
	Butterfly The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) was designated the official state butterfly on July 1, 1987. It is native to Vermont, and breeds here. It was first proposed by the 1987 fifth grade class of Mr. Paul Kaplan at Cornwall Elementary School.
	Coat of Arms The 1862 law which established the current coat of arms does not specify any particular mountains or view. The shield may be of any shape, with any sort of border or none. There must be a landscape of natural color in the foreground or base, with high mountains of blue above and extending into a yellow sky. There must be a pine tree of natural color extending from near the base to the top; sheaves of grain three in number and yellow, placed diagonally on the right side (actually the left as viewed); and a red cow standing on the left side (actually the right as viewed) of the field.
	Fishes Two fishes were designated as official state fishes on May 3, 1978. The Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), the official cold water fish, is the only trout native to Vermont streams. The Walleye Pike (Stizosedion vitreum vitreum), the official warm water fish, is found in many Vermont lakes.
	Flag The picture on a deep blue field is a scene painting. There is a tall pine tree, a cow, and sheaves of wheat. The Green Mountains are in the distance. Pine boughs surround the shield. The name "Vermont" and the state motto, "Freedom and Unity," are displayed on a crimson banner. At the top of the shield is a stag's head. The design was adopted in 1923.
	Flower Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) was designated as the official state flower on February 1, 1895. According to the enabling act, red clover is "... an integral part of many a cultivated hay field and a common sight along numerous Vermont roadsides, ..." and is, therefore, "... symbolic of Vermont's scenic countryside generally and of its dairy farms in particular."
	Fossil The White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) was designated the official state fossil in 1993. The official specimen was uncovered during construction of the first railroad between Rutland and Burlington in 1849, and contains the most complete post-cranial remains of this species ever found.
	Fruit/Pie The Apple was designated the official state fruit, and the Apple Pie the official state pie, on May 10, 1999.
	Gem Grossular Garnet from the Belvidere Mine at Eden Mills is thought to be the finest specimen of its kind anywhere.
	Insect The Honeybee was designated the official state insect on July 1, 1978.
	Mineral Talc is found in southwestern Vermont. In 1990, Vermont ranked second only to California among the states which produce talc.
	Motto Vermont, Freedom and Unity
	Nickname Green Mountain State
	Quarter The design for the Vermont State Quarter was unveiled on August 18, 2000. It features a man tapping sugar maple trees, representing a major agricultural industry in Vermont, with a silhouette of the Green Mountains in the background; the state motto, "Freedom and Unity," is on the right side of the coin. It was released into general circulation in July of 2001.
	Rocks Granite, Marble, and Slate were all designated official state rocks in 1992. Vermont granite is exported to many states and countries for use as building stone. The marble quarry in Danby is the world's largest underground quarry. Vermont marble has been used in building Radio City Music Hall, the Jefferson Memorial, and many other notable structures. Vermont slate is used for roofing shingles, sidewalks, and floor tiles.
	Seal The current Great Seal of Vermont is a reproduction of the original Great Seal, which was designed by Ira Allen in 1778, and was adopted in 1937. The row of wooded hills indicates the Green Mountains; the sheaves and cow, agriculture; the wavy lines at the top and bottom, sky and water. The central pine tree reflects the importance of pines in New England. Its fourteen distinct branches likely represent Vermont's position as the 14th state to be admitted to the Union.
	Soil The Turnbridge Soil Series was designated the official state soil on March 27, 1985. It was selected from among more than 160 different soil series in the state because "it's the soil that makes Vermont hills greener than those either in New Hampshire or New York."
	Song "These Green Mountains" -- composed by Diane Martin, arranged by Rita Buglass Gluck -- was designated the official state song on May 22, 2000. It replaced the original state song, "Hail, Vermont!"
	Tree The Sugar Maple (Acer saccarum) was designated the official state tree on March 10, 1949, because "... no activity is so identified with Vermont as 'sug'rin' ... ."

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