1. West Virginia Beginning the Adventure

2. Golden Delicious Apple
Adopted by the legislature in 1972
Official state fruit in 1995
First grown in Clay County
Used to make applesauce and juice
Golden Delicious Apple

3. Black Bear Official state animal in 1954 Only species of bear in WV
Lives in the eastern mountain region
Eats nuts, berries, fruits, acorns, and roots
Black Bear

4. Monarch Butterfly Named state butterfly in 1995
Also known as the milkweed butterfly
Dark orange-colored wings with black lines and a black border speckled with white dots
Monarch Butterfly

5. Became state fish in 1973
Only trout species native to WV
Brook Trout

6. Rhododendron Became official state flower in 1903
Sometimes called the great laurel
Flowering shrubs that can grow as tall as trees
Grow best in the mountain foothills
Rhododendron

7. Cardinal State bird as of 1949
Male cardinals are bright red with a black throat
Songbirds- members of the sparrow and finch families
Eat seeds, grains, fruits, and insects
Cardinal

8. Official state tree voted on by West Virginian schoolchildren in 1949
Grows to be 100ft tall
Syrup and sugar made from its sap
Deciduous
Sugar Maple

9. West Virginia State Seal
Adopted in 1863
Represents WV’s government
Farmer and miner in the middle
Date of statehood is on the rock: June 20,1963; 35th state to join the US
Ivy that grows on the rock represents stability
Two rifles and the Cap of Liberty honor heroes who fought to make WV a new state
Motto: “Montani Semper Liberi” meaning “Mountaineers are always free”

10. West Virginia State Flag
Adopted in 1929
State seal appears in the middle
Stands for all West Virginians; no matter how different we are from each other, we are united in our love of our state and our freedom.
Flown over government buildings, below the United States flag

11. West Virginia Capitol Located in Charleston
Where government officials meet to make laws
Gold-leaf dome
More than 300 rooms inside
Governor: Earl Ray Tomblin
West Virginia Capitol

12. West Virginia has 55 counties
We are in Kanawha
Five states border WV: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Maryland

13. WV colors are blue and gold
3 Official songs: “West Virginia, My Home Sweet Home” “West Virginia Hills” “This Is My West Virginia” 1963