Flag Day - USA!

Greeting friends and welcome to this week’s blog. Today we are changing things up a bit in our content. Normally we feature an animal but since flag day is tomorrow, I figured we could take a look at flags around the world that have animals on them. It’s a change of pace kind of thing so let’s get started.

Ok so for starters Flag Day is a celebration of the stars and stripes of the American flag. Old Glory as it is sometimes referred to was adopted officially on June 14, 1777. That was the day that the founding fathers removed the Grand Union Flag and used the 13 starred flag as the symbol of the new world.

Our flags in the 13 original colonies were interesting and diverse. Images of the snake and “Don’t Tread On Me” stroll through my mind when I think of flags from this era;. There were multiple designs that featured rattlesnakes on them in the american revolution period as the Pennsylvania Gazette owned by Benjamin Franklin suggested that we send a cargo of rattlesnakes to the British nobles gardens.

Now that was as close as the United States came to a national flag with an animal on it. The US navy also used an adaptation of this motif with a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow flag as well.

Of course there are many other seals and flags with animals on them used but on this flag day I am considering officially representative flags.

For instance the “Bear Flag” is the flag of California. This flag features a Californian Grizzly bear named Monarch who was captured and on display at the Golden Gate Park Zoo until 1911 when he passed. The bear was stuffed and now sits in the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.

The Delaware State Flag however features a not-so-prominent Ox. This and symbols of agriculture also are represented in the coat-of-arms on the Delaware Flag. Still the Ox got some love on this flag, the only flag in the union with one.

Moving along the states in alphabetical order, I would have expected Florida to have an alligator on their flag. Nope, palm trees, water, a lady and some apples or roses. (I guess that depends on your screen’s resolution.) The next state with an animal on its flag is actually Idaho. Yeah I know, you’re thinking it’s supposed to have a potato, stop thinking like that eh?

The Idaho State Flag features the Seal of the State of Idaho more specifically. It was adopted in 1863 when Idaho became a territory by Emma Edwards Green who was the only woman at the time to have designed a state seal. Right below the latin inscription “Esto Perpetua” (let it be perpetual) is the image of an elk which of course represents the bountiful animal life in the state.

The Illinois State Flag features a Bald Eagle pitched on a rock holding a shield that represents the 13 original colonies.

Continuing that Bald Eagle theme are Iowa, New York, North Dakota and Utah which also incorporates honey bees.

Ok the Bald Eagle is really really popular in state flags. What other animals can be found in the state flags though? The Kansas state flag which features the seal of Kansas also prominently features horse drawn carriages and a plow being pulled by horses.

Missouri shows up with a flag designed by Marie Elizabeth Oliver. This flag features two grizzly bears which are meant to symbolize the strength of the state. There is a third bear in the seal but I haven’t seen an explanation of that one. There is also a small bald eagle in the seal as well.  

The Louisiana State Flag gives us a different animal than all other 40 states. It shows a mother pelican feeding 3 young pelicans from herself and you can see that by the three drops of blood on her chest. Her wings are also up to shield her young.

Minnesota’s State Flag features a horseback rider.

The Michigan State Flag presents us with Elk and Moose as symbols of the state and a Bald Eagle as a symbol of the United States.

The State of Maine features a Moose just kind of hanging out under a tree.

New Jersey offers us a flag with a horse’s head on the top of a helmet which actually scares me slightly. They say it’s buff colored but I call it yellow. Good job New Jersey, btw I am just joking with you here so don’t take me too seriously.

The State of Oregon gives us a Bald Eagle and cattle pulling a covered wagon presumably on the Oregon trail that we all used to play on the green screen Apple IIE’s back in the ‘80s. Ok either you get that reference or we have ponies for you to look at in the park. Haaa either way I am just making sure that you’re still paying attention.

Pennsylvania has a busy bit of work here that features two draft horses and a bald eagle.

I am not entirely sure what South Dakota has going on here. I included this flag as a challenge, you find an animal in it let me know what you come up with would ya? It’s like "Where’s Waldo" or something. I am confident that you can complete this mission!

Vermont checks in with two animals on its flag. The deer’s head on the top is a symbol of the state’s wildlife and the cow represents the state’s agriculture.

The Wyoming State Flag is cool. It kind of has the Spiderman colors going for it with a buffalo in it. If I were a Wyoming superhero I would definitely be "Buffalo-Man." At first glance there is the obvious buffalo, but if you look closely into the seal, there is an eagle on a shield in it.

Last stop on our look at the flags of the United States with animals on them brings us back home to the State of Wisconsin. A native Wisconsinite would recognize the animal at the top of the seal as the often referenced badger.

And there you have it, all of the flags in the United States of America with animals on them and South Dakota LOL. Tune in next year when I go over every nation’s flags with animals on them!