Vermont state symbols
Vermont’s state bird is the hermit thrush (1941), its flower the red clover (1894 or 1895), its tree the sugar maple (1949), and its motto “Freedom and Unity” (1779).
How to read it
Title 1 of the Vermont Statutes names each in a line of its own: “The State Bird shall be the hermit thrush”, “The State Flower shall be the red clover” and “The State Tree shall be the sugar maple”. The motto is on the coat of arms, “On a scroll beneath the shield, the motto: Vermont; Freedom and Unity.” The statutes print no dates for these sections. The Secretary of State’s Legislative Directory and State Manual gives 1941 for the hermit thrush, 1894 for the red clover and 1949 for the sugar maple. The Vermont Historical Society agrees on 1941 but gives 1895 for the clover, and the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation also gives 1949 for the maple. The state animal is the Morgan horse (1961), and the state song is “These Green Mountains”, adopted by an act that took effect in 2000.
Also searched as: official symbols of vermont, vermont state bird, vermont state flower, vermont state motto, vermont state symbols, vermont state tree.
The crow and the blue jay
The Vermont Historical Society says some legislators wanted the crow or the blue jay as the state bird before the hermit thrush was chosen in 1941. The crow and the blue jay have their own pages on oldsymbols.com.
A second motto, in Latin
Since 2015 Vermont also has a state Latin motto: “Stella quarta decima fulgeat”, which the statute translates as “May the 14th star shine bright”. “Freedom and Unity” stays on the coat of arms. The Legislative Directory says “Freedom & Unity” was adopted with the state seal in 1779, the year the Historical Society gives for the seal.
States with the same tree
The sugar maple is also the state tree of New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Read next
- Next in US state symbolsVirginia state symbolsVirginia’s state bird is the northern cardinal (1950), its flower and its tree are both the American dogwood, and its motto is “Sic semper tyrannis”, “Thus always to tyrants” (1776).
- The same shape in Asian flagsFlag of North KoreaNorth Korea’s flag has a wide red stripe in the centre, edged above and below by a narrow white stripe and a blue stripe, with a red five-pointed star in a white circle towards the pole. The constitution describes the flag without giving the colours a meaning.
More US state symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- 1 V.S.A. § 497. State Bird, Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 497, Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), § 497
- 1 V.S.A. § 498. State Flower, Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 498, Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), § 498
- 1 V.S.A. § 499. State Tree, Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 499, Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), § 499
- 1 V.S.A. § 491. Coat of Arms; Crest; Motto; and Badge, Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, § 491, Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), § 491(2) Motto and Badge
- 1 V.S.A. chapter 11, Flag, Insignia, Seal, etc. (full text), Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 1, ch. 11, §§ 493, 500, 514, 518, Vermont General Assembly (Vermont Statutes Online), §§ 493, 500, 514, 518
- Hermit Thrush (Vermont History Explorer), Vermont Historical Society, "Hermit Thrush," Vermont History Explorer, Vermont Historical Society, Hermit Thrush
- Red Clover (Vermont History Explorer), Vermont Historical Society, "Red Clover," Vermont History Explorer, Vermont Historical Society, Red Clover
- Sugar Maple (Vermont History Explorer), Vermont Historical Society, "Sugar Maple," Vermont History Explorer, Vermont Historical Society, Sugar Maple
- Vermont State Seal (Vermont History Explorer), Vermont Historical Society, "Vermont State Seal," Vermont History Explorer, Vermont Historical Society, Vermont State Seal
- History of Forestry in Vermont, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, "History of Forestry in Vermont", Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, Timeline, 1949
- Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual, 2025–2026: A Quick Glance at Vermont, Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory and State Manual, Biennial Session 2025–2026, "A Quick Glance at Vermont", pp. 13–14, Vermont Secretary of State (Vermont State Archives and Records Administration), A Quick Glance at Vermont, State Emblems, pp. 13–14
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 10, 2026. How we research
Added . Last updated .