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Natural Symbols
State Bird
A tradition recorded by the historians of Delaware in their writings relating to the "Blue Hen's
Chickens," it is told that during the early days of the Revolutionary War the men of Caption Jonathan
Caldwell's company, recruited in Kent County, took with them game chickens noted for their fighting
ability. These chickens were said to be of the brood of a famous blue hen.
The fame of these cockfights spread throughout the army and when in battle the Delaware men fought so
valorously that they were compared to these fighting cocks, with the result that they received the
sobriquet "Blue Hen's Chickens."
Although a law was not enacted and approved until April 14, 1939, by which the "Blue Hen Chicken" was
adopted as the official bird of the State of Delaware, it is interesting that it received unofficial
recognition through the years.
State Fish
The sea trout, also known as weakfish, was adopted as the state fish because of its growing abundance
in the Delaware Bay and the increased emphasis on sea trout fishing.
State Tree
By Act of the General Assembly of the State of Delaware approved by the Governor on May 1, 1939, the
American Holly, often called Christmas holly or evergreen holly, became the official State Tree of
Delaware. In Delaware the trees rarely exceed 60 feet in height and a trunk diameter of 20
inches.
The tree bears a profusion of sweet smelling flowers in May and June. Later, bright red berries
appear and it is from the dark green thorny leaved foliage with the red berries that the various
Christmas greens and decorations are made.
State Flower
The Peach Blossom was adopted as the official floral emblem of the State of Delaware on May 9, 1895.
Prior to the passage of this act there had been much sentiment among some of the citizens of the State
who favored the Golden Rod as the State Flower. As a result of this sentiment the agriculturalists
and the school children sent petitions to the legislature pointing out that Delaware had the
reputation of being the "Peach State" since her orchards contained more than 800,000 peach trees,
which yielded a crop worth thousands of dollars. These reasons prompted the adoption of the Peach
Blossom as the official State Flower.
State Bug
Adopted April 25, 1974, the Lady Bug was chosen by the Legislature after an intensive effort in the
insect's behalf by a group of elementary school children. Ladybugs, or lady beetles, are a very beneficial group of insects; a single lady beetle may consume as many as 5,000 aphids in its lifetime.
State Butterfly
Adopted on June 10, 1999, the Tiger Swallowtail (Pterourus glaucus) was declared the State's official butterfly. The tiger swallowtail, a large, yellow, black-striped butterfly, is indigenous to Delaware and can be seen in deciduous woods, along streams, rivers, and wooded swamps, and in towns and cities throughout Delaware. Three butterflies were chosen by students of the Richardson Park Learning Center as possible State butterflies; then 1,611 out of 3,175 public and parochial students all over the State voted to suggest to the Legislature that the tiger swallowtail be named the State's butterfly.
State Marine Animal
Recognizing its great importance and value, the horseshoe crab was designated as Delaware's official marine animal on June 25, 2002. These crabs contain a compound, limulus amebocyte lysante (LAL), that is used to detect bacterial poisons in certain medications, vaccines and medical devices. Chitin, a natural polymer found in the horseshoe crab's shell, is used to make bandages. The crab is used in vision studies because their complex eye structure is similar to the human eye. It is the principal food source for over a million shore birds. Delaware Bay is the home to more horseshoe crabs than any other place in the world.
State Fossil
On July 2, 1996, belemnite was named as the official fossil of Delaware. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School (Wilmington) 3rd grade Quest students of Kathy Tidball suggested honoring the ancient and noble belemnite as our State fossil.
The belemnite was, in essence, a squid with a conical shell. It is an extinct member of the phylum Mollusca, which includes clams, snails, squids and octopuses. Belemnite fossils can be easily found along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which is where the Quest Students collected specimens during a field trip.
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