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Rhode Island Symbols, State Bird & State Flower
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 Bird
Rhode Island Red
(Gallus gallus)
Adopted on May 3, 1954.
The Rhode Island Red Hen became Rhode Island's official state bird on May 3, 1954.
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.
Rhode Island's state bird campaign was launched in 1931, by Mrs. J. Howard Pember, chairman of the State Federation division of conservation and natural resources. The State Federation of Women's Clubs sponsored the event, which was supported by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.
The six candidates were the bobwhite, flicker, tree swallow, song sparrow, catbird, and osprey. The bobwhite won, with the osprey in second place. Two state bird bills were submitted to the legislature, one naming the bobwhite, the other the osprey. Neither was adopted.
In 1954, a new state bird election was sponsored by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs, and the Providence Journal Company. This time around there were five candidates. The bobwhite and osprey were back with the towhee, ruby-throated hummingbird, and a chicken breed known as the Rhode Island Red. (The robin and chickadee were considered, then rejected because they already represented other states.)
The Rhode Island Red had the State Department of Agriculture and Conservation on its side. The breed had originated in the town of Little Compton, Rhode Island, in 1854. 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. Rhode Island Reds were first advertised in poultry journals in 1896, and the breed became very famous. A monument to the Rhode Island Red was erected in the village of Adamsville, Rhode Island.
The Rhode Island Red won. A bill to adopt the Rhode Island Red was introduced in the House, backed by farmers' groups and the American Legion. The Rhode Island Federation of Garden Clubs submitted a bill to name the hummingbird the state bird.
The Rhode Island Red Hen became Rhode Island's official state bird at noon on May 3, 1954, when Governor Roberts put his signature on the bill.
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| Kingdom |
Animalia -- animals |
| Phylum |
Chordata -- chordates |
| Subphylum |
Vertebrata -- vertebrates |
| Class |
Aves -- birds |
| Order |
Galliformes -- fowls, gallinaceous birds |
| Family |
Phasianidae -- |
| Genus |
Gallus -- |
| Species |
Gallus gallus - chicken |
State Flower
Violet
(Viola sororia)
Adopted in 1968; July 13, 2001
The violet is also the state flower for Illinois, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
The distinctive feature of this violet is its leaves , some of them are cut or divided into lobes. The prototypical early blue violet has lobed leaves, usually with five to eleven lobes (first photo). The plant in the second photo has a mixture of lobed leaves and unlobed, heart-shaped leaves. This marks it as Viola palmata var. triloba, which was once considered a separate species (Viola triloba). Birdfoot violet and coast violet look somewhat similar, but their leaves are cut into much narrower lobes.
Stems - A thick underground caudex.
Height: 4-6 inches
Leaves - All arising from base of plant. Petioles to +15cm long, hirsute, with single longitudinal groove. Blades of lower leaves rounded at apex, reniform, or ovate, crenate to serrate, pubescent. Upper leaf blades cordate at base, gradually tapering to an acute or blunt apex, serrate, densely pubescent(hirsute), to +5cm broad, +5cm long.
Flowers - Corolla violet, 3/4 inch broad and long. Petals 5, fading to pale yellow at base, with dark venation near base. Lateral petals bearded. Lower petal spurred. Stamens 5, connate around ovary. Bottom two stamens with flattened curved nectaries to +3mm long. Ovary conic, -3mm long. Style to -2mm long, truncate and triangular at apex. Sepals 5, to 9mm long, 3mm broad, mostly glabrous or very sparsely pubescent, topmost one recurved. Auricles 1mm long, rounded at base.
Flowering - March - June.
Flower color: purple
Habitat - Slopes, open and low woods, thickets, streambanks, and limy areas
CHAPTER 309
2001-S 859
Enacted 07/13/2001
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - STATE EMBLEMS
Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Bates and Irons
Date Introduced: March 13, 2001
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 42-4-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-4 entitled "State Emblems" is hereby amended to read as follows:
42-4-9. State flower. -- The flower commonly known as the "violet" (viola palmata) (viola sororia) is hereby designated as the state flower.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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| Kingdom |
Plantae -- Plants |
| Subkingdom |
Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants |
| Superdivision |
Spermatophyta -- Seed plants |
| Division |
Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants |
| Class |
Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons |
| Subclass |
Rosidae – |
| Order |
Violales |
| Family |
Violaceae -- Violet family |
| Genus |
Viola L |
| Species |
Viola palmata L. – early blue violet |
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