Horse

Tennessee Walking Horse

The Tennessee Walking Horse was named the official state horse in 2000. The Tennessee Walking Horse is bred mainly from Standardbred, Morgan, Thoroughbred, and American Saddlebred stock. The three, easy-riding gaits of this breed: the flat-foot walk, the running walk, and the canter, are all natural, inherited characteristics, making this breed one of the smoothest riding horses in the world. This breed was a practical utility horse in the beginning and evolved into a pleasure horse with its gentle ride. Tennessee Walking Horses generally range from 14.3 to 17 hands and weigh 900 to 1,200 pounds.

Insects

Firefly (Lightning Bug Beetle)

The firefly, or lightning bug beetle, is the popular name of the luminescent insects of the Lampyridae family. In Tennessee, Photinus pyralls is the most familiar species. Their extraordinary light is generated in special organs and it is most often white, yellow, orange, greenish blue or reddish.

Chủ đề miền bắcRather small, they are blackish, brown, yellow or reddish in color. In certain species the females remain in the larvae state and are called glowworms. Most fireflies produce short rhythmic flashes which provide a signaling system to bring the sexes together and also a protective mechanism to repel predators.

Ladybeetle (Ladybug)

The ladybeetle, more commonly called ladybug or ladybird beetle, is the popular name given the Coccinella 7. This beetle was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and called "Beetle of Our Lady." They are around four-tenths of an inch long, brightly colored, round, with the popular ladybug having four black spots on each wing.

Chủ đề miền bắcLadybugs are sold to farmers to control insect pests because they are important aphid predators. The life cycle is about four weeks as the ladybug larvae passes through four growth stages feeding on insects and insect eggs.

Chủ đề miền bắcIn folk medicine ladybug beetles were used to cure various diseases including colic and the measles.

Honeybee

The official state agricultural insectChủ đề miền bắc is the Honeybee and was designated in 1990.

The honeybee, Apis melliferaChủ đề miền bắc, is a social, honey-producing insect that plays a fundamental role in the production of all crops. It is also very popular for its production of honey and beeswax.

The honeybee plays a vital economic role in Tennessee through its pollination of various crops, trees, and grasses. The honeybee is the only insect that can be moved for the express purpose of pollination.

Mineral

Agate

Agate is a cryptocrystalline quartz. This semiprecious gemstone is found in only a few areas of the state. It was designated as a state rock in 1969 and redesignated as the state mineral in 2009.

Reptile

Eastern Box Turtle

The Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina, was designated official state reptileChủ đề miền bắcin 1995. This peaceful creature usually reaches a length of less than six inches and has a shell of black or brown with spots of yellow, orange and red. This reptile usually lives between 30 to 60 years and never ventures far from its place of birth.

Rock

Limestone

Found just about everywhere in Tennessee, limestone was designated an official state rock in 1979. Tennessee marble, as the metamorphic version of limestone is known, is widely used in public and private buildings.

Seal

The Roman numerals XVI signify that Tennessee was the 16th state to enter the Union. The plow, the sheaf of wheat and a cotton stalk symbolize the importance of agriculture, while the riverboat attests to the importance of river traffic to commerce. This was adopted as the official state seal in 1987.

Tartan

In 1999 the General Assembly adopted an official state tartanChủ đề miền bắc to commemorate the important part played by persons of Scottish descent in the history of Tennessee. A tartan was designed with colors and symbolism relevant to this state:

• Natural white, representing the unity of the three Grand Divisions of the State of Tennessee
• Dark green, representing the importance of agriculture to the state
• Purple, representing the state flower, the Iris
• Red, representing the sacrifices made by Tennessee soldiers and pioneers
• Dark blue, representing the mountains of Tennessee

Trees

Tulip Poplar

The Tulip Poplar was designated as an official state tree of Tennessee in 1947. As no state tree had ever before been designated, the adoption of an official tree seemed appropriate. The tulip poplar was chosen "because it grows from one end of the state to the other" and "was extensively used by the pioneers of the state to construct houses, barns, and other necessary farm buildings."

Eastern Red Cedar

The Eastern Red Cedar, Juniperus virginianaChủ đề miền bắc, was designated as the state evergreen tree in 2012. It is indigenous to the entire state and was one of the earliest landscape trees used by early pioneers, such as Andrew Jackson at the Hermitage. Cedar Knob was the name of the land upon which the State Capitol was built, and the street at the foot of the capitol was called Cedar Street (now Charlotte Avenue). The eastern red cedar is an integral part of an ecological niche in Tennessee called cedar glades, and is a sacred tree of the Cherokee peoples.

Wild Animal

Raccoon

In 1971, the Raccoon was adopted as Tennessee’s official wild animal. The Raccoon, Procyon lotorChủ đề miền bắc, is a furry animal that has a bushy, ringed tail and a band of black hair around its eyes which looks like a mask. Raccoons eat fish and frogs that they catch in rivers and streams. Raccoons living in Tennessee weigh from 12 to 25 pounds. Most males are larger than females. Raccoons walk like bears, with all four feet on the ground, and are good swimmers.