~The Natural State~.....RHODE ISLAND

[olena]

State Shell

Northern Quahog
Mercenaria mercenaria

Description 2 3/4-4 1/4" (7-10.8 cm) long. Broadly ovate, moderately inflated, thick-shelled; hind end slightly sinuous, pointed below; umbones near front end; lunule margined by sharply incised line; broad, narrow escutcheon bounded by low umbonal ridge. Exterior grayish-yellow, often with pale brownish tinge; with erect concentric ridges that are strong near umbones, more crowded near front and hind ends, with finer threads between; ridges broader and lower near lower margin; surface smooth near center. Interior white, usually with purple spot near hind end; pallial sinus small, sharply pointed; margin finely toothed.
Habitat In sand or mud in bays or inlets, from intertidal flats to water 50' (15 m) deep.
Range Gulf of St. Lawrence to Florida and Texas.
Discussion Also known as the Hard-shelled Clam or the Littleneck Clam. The name "Quahog," or "Quahaug," is of Algonquin Indian origin. The Indians used the animal as food and the shell for tools and ornaments. Beads made from the thick shell were strung together and used as wampum, or shell-money; those with purple spots were twice as valuable as the white ones. Today this clam is the basis of an important commercial fishery. The related larger and heavier Southern Quahog (M. campechiensis), found from southern New Jersey to Florida and Texas, grows to 6" (15.2 cm) in length; it is more inflated and lacks the smoothish area in the center of the valves; the interior is white and rarely marked with purple.

 

[olena]

State Tree

Red Maple
Acer rubrum

Description Large tree with narrow or rounded, compact crown and red flowers, fruit, leafstalks, and autumn foliage.
Height: 60-90' (18-27 m).
Diameter: 2 1/2' (0.8 m).
Leaves: opposite; 2 1/2-4" (6-10 cm) long and nearly as wide. Broadly ovate, with 3 shallow short-pointed lobes (sometimes with 2 smaller lobes near base); irregularly and wavy saw-toothed, with 5 main veins from base; long red or green leafstalk. Dull green above, whitish and hairy beneath; turning red, orange, and yellow in autumn.
Bark: gray; thin, smooth, becoming fissured into long thin scaly ridges.
Twigs: reddish, slender, hairless.
Flowers: 1/8" (3 mm) long; reddish; crowded in nearly stalkless clusters along twigs; male and female in separate clusters; in late winter or very early spring before leaves.
Fruit: 3/4-1" (2-2.5 cm) long including long wing; paired forking keys; red turning reddish-brown; 1-seeded; maturing in spring.
Habitat Wet or moist soils of stream banks, valleys, swamps, and uplands and sometimes on dry ridges; in mixed hardwood forests.
Range Extreme SE. Manitoba east to E. Newfoundland, south to S. Florida, west to E. Texas; to 6000' (1829 m).
Discussion Red Maple is a handsome shade tree, displaying red in different seasons. Pioneers made ink and cinnamon-brown and black dyes from a bark extract. It has the greatest north-south distribution of all tree species along the East Coast.

 

[olena]

State Bird

Rhode Island Red

HISTORY
The Rhode Island Red is the most successful dual-purpose bird of all and remains an excellent farm chicken. They are very good layers of brown eggs and are known for their hardiness and ability to produce eggs even in marginal conditions. Rhode Island Reds can produce 200 to 300 eggs per bird in a twelve-month laying period and begin laying as early as six months of age.
There is little information pertaining to the status of poultry prior to the middle of the last century. However, there is evidence that all of our domestic poultry, with the exception of the turkey, was brought from the old world by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. In the 1840's and 1850's poultry began to be imported on a regular basis and, after a century of random and local breeding, regular breeds were developed, refined and shown. Also during this same time, the first breed societies were organized and in 1873 the American Poultry Association was formed. In 1874, the APA adopted the first American Standard of Perfection, a book that served as a guide for poultry breeders. Illustrations in this book helped to mark the standards and develop consistency in breeding. As interest grew in promoting and showing these refined breeds of bird, so did the interest in poultry as a profitable farm crop. The national value of poultry was estimated at more than $25 million in 1875. The Rhode Island Red chicken was originally developed in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the 1880's and 1890's. The ancestors of this chicken include the Malay, Shanghai, Java and Brown Leghorn. Its distinctive color and qualities helped it to spread rapidly across the country making this bird one of the most popular breeds ever. Since the 1940's, the Rhode Island Red has been bred for more efficient egg production. By doing this breeders have sacrificed its size, which is now smaller, its darker color, and its broodiness. The "old-type" of Rhode Island Red is becoming more and more rare, due to the modified breeding. Though the old type resembles the more common "production" type, the two are not the same. The Rhode Island Red along with many other "heritage" breeds of poultry are disappearing. Preservation of the older breeds is vitally important because of their genetic diversity and hardiness, along with other unique traits. Preservation of the older breeds of livestock and poultry are essential as agricultural practices change to meet the needs of the future.

 

[olena]

State Flower

Common Blue Violet
Viola sororia (Viola papilionacea, Viola floridana)
Hooded Blue Violet, Florida Violet, Sand Violet, Meadow Violet

Description This smooth, low plant has flowers and leaves on separate stalks.
Flowers: 1/2-3/4" (1.3-2 cm) wide; blue to white, or white with purple veins; petals 5, the lower one longer and spurred, the 2 lateral ones bearded.
Leaves: to 5" (12.5 cm) wide; heart-shaped with scalloped margins.
Fruit: 3-valved capsule.
Height: 3-8" (7.5-20 cm).
Flower March-June.
Habitat Damp woods, moist meadows, roadsides.
Range Throughout eastern North America (except Alberta), west to North Dakota and Texas.
Discussion In addition to the normal flowers there are often flowers near the ground that fail to open, but their whitish fruit produces vast quantities of seeds. Violet leaves are high in vitamins A and C and can be used in salads or cooked as greens. The flowers can be made into candies and jellies. The Marsh Blue Violet (V. cucullata), a similar species of very wet habitats, has dark blue-centered flowers borne well above the leaves.

 

[olena]

State Fish

Striped Bass
Morone saxatilis

Description To 6' (1.8 m); 125 lbs (56.7 kg). Elongate, moderately compressed; back olive-green to dark blue, sides silvery, belly white; upper sides with 6-9 dark, uninterrupted stripes; median fins dusky. Mouth large, lower jaw slightly projecting. Teeth small, in bands on jaws, vomer, and palatine bones, and in 2 parallel patches on tongue. Opercle has 2 flat spines near posterior edge. First dorsal fin with 8-10 strong spines, separated from second dorsal by deep notch. Scales extend onto all fin bases except spinous dorsal.
Habitat Inshore over various bottoms; some permanently in fresh water.
Range Atlantic Ocean and associated rivers from St. Lawrence River to St. Johns River, Florida; Appalachicola River, W. Florida, to Lake Ponchartrain, Louisiana. Most abundant from Hudson River to Chesapeake Bay. Widely introduced into rivers and lakes in much of Mississippi River system, Colorado River, and coastal streams in Washington, Oregon, and California.
Discussion The Striped Bass is a very important sport and commercial fish throughout its range, and large individuals are caught by surf fishing, especially on the Atlantic Coast. It is a delicious food fish. It is anadromous, and spawns prolifically in fresh water.

Previous Natural States
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Utah
West Virginia

 

[paras4ri]

Thanks Heather.....there's no place like home!!!
(except maybe Disney World!)

 

[olena]

No problem! I've been enjoying this. I did 4 more states today.

Let's just say that Tennessee has an official 'everything'....including an official rap song.

They're not as bad as California, which has a TON of natural symbols. It has certainly been educational....

 

[Snowwark]

They have a State shell???? Very cool...

Thank you, Heather! Great info, and great pics, especially the red maples, very pretty!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Cool!

I knew we had a state bird and that it was the Rhode Island Red, but I didn't know the others. State shell, huh? Who knew! I just know that STUFFED quahogs are delish!

Thanks! Interesting reading.

 

[Mamu]

Time to catch up on the Natural State. I picked RI first because the border is 10 minutes from my house.

Got thier own state chicken and shell cool!