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New Hampshire state symbols

New Hampshire has 29 official state symbols, all set out in Chapter 3 of the Revised Statutes. The oldest is the flag of 1909; the newest is the Virginia opossum, added in 2025 at the suggestion of fourth graders, with a law that says the state's opossums are to be called "New Hampshire opossums." Schoolchildren have been behind many of the symbols in between.

29 official designations · every law checked October 23, 2026

Lilac, birch and finch

New Hampshire’s first symbols took a while to settle. The 1919 Legislature weighed a long list of flowers, among them the apple blossom, the purple aster, the wood lily, the mayflower, the goldenrod and the buttercup, before choosing the purple lilac. The white birch became the state tree in 1947, introduced for the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs. And in 1957 the purple finch became the state bird, beating a rival bill for the New Hampshire hen pushed by Representative Doris M. Spollett, who had lost the same fight eight years earlier as a senator. The hen got its due in 2018, when the New Hampshire Red became the state poultry.

Chosen by students

Many of New Hampshire’s symbols began in classrooms. In 1977 fifth graders at the Broken Ground School in Concord lobbied for the ladybug with their teacher, Marilyn A. Fraser. A House committee tried to replace their bill with a State Insect Selection Board, but the House reversed course on a 185-135 vote, the Senate approved it unanimously, and all 24 senators signed a framed copy for the school. High school students campaigned for about two years for the red-spotted newt, adopted in 1985 as an emblem of environmental concern because it lives in wet places exposed to acid rain.

Later classes followed. Students at Wells Memorial Elementary School in Harrisville won the pumpkin as state fruit in 2006. Seventh graders in Bedford proposed the Chinook, a sled dog bred at Wonalancet from 1917 and the only breed that originated in New Hampshire, as state dog in 2009. And in 2025 a fourth-grade class in Chesterfield got the Virginia opossum named the state marsupial, after their senator, Donovan Fenton, visited to talk about how government works.

Granite and gems

In 1985 the Legislature named three symbols from the Granite State’s rocks: granite as state rock; beryl, whose often yellow or yellow-green crystals turn up in the granite, as state mineral; and smoky quartz, also called cairngorm, as state gem.

Wildlife and the woods

The white-tailed deer became the state animal in 1983. The pink lady’s slipper, a native woodland orchid, became the state wildflower in 1991. The Karner blue butterfly, named in 1992, has a sobering story: it was feared lost from New Hampshire by 1999, and it now survives only in the pine barrens of Concord through a program of captive rearing and release, protected as an endangered species under both federal and state law. In 1994 the Legislature named two state fish, the striped bass for salt water and the brook trout for fresh water. Recent additions include the bobcat in 2015, the red-tailed hawk in 2019 and the daring jumping spider in 2021.

Skis, cider and tartan

Some symbols reflect New Hampshire life. Skiing became the state sport in 1998, apple cider the state beverage in 2010 and the white potato the state vegetable in 2013. The state tartan, designed by the Newton handweaver Ralf Hartwell for the 20th New Hampshire Highland Games, became official in 1995. By law its purple stands for the purple finch and lilac, green for the forests, black for the granite mountains, white for snow and red for the state’s heroes.

1 1900s 1 1920s 1 4 1940s 1 1960s 1 5 1980s 6 2 2000s 5 2 2020s
Official symbols adopted per decade. The busiest decade was the 1990s, with six.

Flag, seal, song, motto and nickname

Animals

Plants and fungi

Earth and sky

Food and drink

Culture and history

Government emblems

Questions about New Hampshire's symbols

What is the New Hampshire state bird?
The purple finch, adopted in 1957 after beating a rival bill for the New Hampshire hen.
What is the New Hampshire state flower?
The purple lilac, adopted in 1919. The state wildflower is the pink lady's slipper.
What is the New Hampshire state dog?
The Chinook, a sled dog breed developed by Arthur Walden at Wonalancet beginning in 1917. It is the only breed that originated in New Hampshire.
How many state songs does New Hampshire have?
Ten are listed in state law. "Old New Hampshire" is the official state song, and the other nine are honorary.
What is the New Hampshire state insect?
The ladybug, adopted in 1977 after a campaign by fifth graders at the Broken Ground School in Concord.
Photo credits (10)

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