Kids' Page -- Arizona State Symbols

Arizona State Symbols

Statehood Day This is the day Arizona became a state.
February 14, 1912

View photos of all of the state symbols HERE.

State Seal
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The official seal is in black and white. See if you can find all of these drawings on the seal. In the background is a mountain range with the sun rising behind the peaks. At the right side of the range of mountains is a storage reservoir (a lake) and a dam. In the middle are irrigated fields and orchards. In the lower right side of the seal is grazing cattle. To the left, on a mountainside, is a quartz mill with a miner with a pick and shovel. Above the drawing is the motto "Ditat Deus," meaning "God Enriches." The words "Great Seal of the State of Arizona" and the year of admission to the United States, 1912, is written around the seal.

State Flower
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The state flower is the white blossom of the saguaro, the largest cactus in the United States. The saguaro blossoms appear on the tips of the long arms of the cactus during May and June. Next time you go for a ride, ask your mom or dad to point out a saguaro cactus. You can tell them the state flower grows on it in the spring!

State Tree
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The palo verde, meaning "green stick", is the state tree. The palo verde is found in the desert and the foothills of Arizona. When the trees bloom in late spring, they look like gold.

State Bird
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Arizona's state bird, the cactus wren, is brown with a speckled chest. If you look close you can see white lines over each eye. They grow to be about 7 to 8 inches in long, a little bit bigger than a new pencil.

State Gem
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A gem is a precious stone, that means, it has value.
Arizona's state gem, turquoise, is blue-green stone. It has been used a long, long time in Indian jewelry.

Official Neckwear
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The bola tie is "a new symbol of the west," and is usually hand-made in many different shapes, sizes, and types. They are fun to wear because you don't have to learn to tie one! They just slip up and down on a thin rope.

State Fish
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The Apache Trout is the state fish. It has a yellowish color and pink bands. It has spots on its body and is found in state rivers.

State Fossil
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Petrified wood is the state fossil. Most of the petrified wood in Arizona can be found in the Petrified Forest in the northern part of the state. A long time ago the wood used to be trees. Over a long period of time the wood became petrified, meaning it is as hard as a rock!

State Amphibian
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Amphibian is an adult word for frogs, toads, and salamanders. This Arizona Treefrog is the state amphibian. It is small, usually 3/4 to 2 inches long, a little larger than the size of a quarter. Most are green but some can be gold colored. Can you see a dark stripe that starts at its nose and runs through the eye? The stripe ends just before the rear legs.

State Mammal
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The ringtail is the state mammal, it is not really a cat but is related to the raccoon and coatimundi. The ringtail is also known as the ringtail cat, miner's cat, and cacomistle. It was named the state mammal in 1986.

State Reptile
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The Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake was the last rattlesnake to be named by herpetologists (grown-ups who study snakes). This snake is small, rarely weighing more than 3-4 ounces as an adult or growing longer than 24 inches. The ridge-nosed rattlesnake lives only the Huachuca, Patagonia, and Santa Rita Mountains in the south central part of Arizona.

State Butterfly
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The newest of the state symbols, the two-tailed swallowtail became the state butterly in 2001. This butterfly has yellow and black wings with a wing span between three and a half up to five inches in length.