Maine, nicknamed the "Pine Tree State," is famous for its 17 million acres of forest land and 3,500 miles of picturesque Atlantic coast. This historic New England state is also home to America's oldest chartered town.
The black-capped chickadee, adopted as Maine's state bird in 1927, is a small, cheerful year-round resident of the northern states, found both in woodlands and backyards.
The eastern white pine, which at one time covered much of northeast America, is the tallest tree in the eastern U.S. Adopted as state tree in 1945, this pine also appears on the state flag.
Technically, Maine has a state floral emblem, since the pine cone and tassel (adopted by the legislature in 1895) are part of the pine tree and not true flowers.
In preparation for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, every state submitted a floral emblem. Maine residents chose the pine cone (rather than goldenrod or apple blossom) in a statewide vote.
Maine's state animal is the moose; state insect, the honeybee; state cat, the Maine coon cat; and state berry, the wild blueberry, according to StateSymbolsUSA.org.
