South Carolina – State Symbols, Emblems, Nicknames

South Carolina SC Facts & Firsts SC State Symbols, Emblems, Nicknames

State Nicknames

• South Carolina's Nickname – The Palmetto State
  
• Earlier SC Nickname – Iodine State
  
• Nickname for South Carolinians – Sandlappers
  
• Nicknames of South Carolina Cities, Towns
  

State Symbols, Emblems

• SC Amphibian - Spotted Salamander - named the official state amphibian in 1999, following a year-long campaign by the third-grade class of Woodland Heights Elementary School in Spartanburg.
  
  
  
  
• SC Animal - White Tailed Deer - can be seen bounding through South Carolina's woods year-round. They are plentiful in our state, and in 1972 the legislature named them the official state animal.
  
  
  
  

• SC Beverage - Milk - there are around 90 dairy farms in our state.
  
• SC Bird - Carolina Wren - known for nesting in unusual places such as bags, boxes, flower pots, and even shoes!
  – Mockingbird, 1939 – 1948
  
  
• SC Butterfly - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - named for the long portion of their hind wings which resemble a swallow's tail feathers. Each of the fore wings of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail has four black stripes resembling a tiger.
  
  
  
  

• SC Dance - The Shag
  
• SC Dog - Boykin Spaniel
  
• SC Duck - Summer Duck (Wood Duck)
  

• SC Fish - Striped Bass (Rockfish)
  
• SC Flag - Note: No one knows for sure what the crescent on the caps of Moultrie's troops represented
  
• SC Flower - Yellow Jessamine (pronounced "JES-uh-min" or "jaz'min")
  
  
  
  
• SC Folk Art and Craft Center - South Carolina Artisans Center, Walterboro
  
• SC Folk Dance - The Square Dance
  
• SC Food (unofficial) - Grits
  
• SC Fruit - Peach - We lead all southern states in peach production – including Georgia! – and are fondly called the "Tastier Peach State."
  

• SC Grass - Indian Grass
  
• SC Gemstone - Amethyst - several world-class amethysts have been discovered at the Ellis-Jones Mine in Abbeville County
  
  
  
  

• SC Handcraft - Sweetgrass Basket
  
• SC Horse - Marsh Tacky
  
• SC Hospitality Beverage - Tea - Wadmalaw Island is the home of "America's Only Tea Garden," the Charleston Tea Plantation.

• SC Insect - Carolina Mantid
  

• SC Mace - Mace of the House of Representatives
  
• SC Marine Mammal - Bottlenosed Dolphin
  
• SC Migratory Marine Mammal - Northern Right Whale
  
• SC Mottos - one motto is "Dum Spiro Spero," which is Latin for "While I Breathe, I Hope." The woman pictured to the right is the Roman goddess Spes, the goddess of hope.
  
  
  
  
• Music - The Spiritual
  

• SC Opera - "Porgy and Bess"
  

• SC Pledge - "I salute the flag of South Carolina and pledge to the Palmetto State love, loyalty and faith."
  
• SC Poet Laureate (current) - Marjory Wentworth
  Previous Poet Laureates:
  – Bennie Lee Sinclair, 1986-2000
  – Grace Beacham Freeman, 1985-1986
  – Ennis Rees, 1984-1985
  – Helen von Kolnitz Hyer, 1974-1983
  – Archibald Rutledge, 1934-1973
  
  
• SC Popular Music - Beach Music - originated around the time of the second World War, and has come to be regarded as synonymous with the official state dance, the Shag.
  
  
  
  

• SC Reptile - Loggerhead Turtle
  

• SC State Seal
  – Seal of the House of Representatives
  – Seal of the Senate
  
• SC Shell - Lettered Olive
  
• SC Snack Food - Boiled Peanuts
  
• SC Songs - "Carolina" and "South Carolina on my Mind"
• SC Spider - Carolina Wolf Spider
  
• SC Stone - Blue Granite
  
• SC Sword - Sword of the Senate
  

• SC Tartan - Carolina Tartan
  
• SC Tree - Sabal Palmetto (Cabbage Palmetto) - the flexibility of its trunk, together with its strong root system, enable the palmetto to withstand the fierce winds that so often strike our coastline.
  
  
  
  

• SC Vegetable - Collard Greens
  

• SC Waltz - The Richardson Waltz
  
• SC Wildflower - Goldenrod
  
• SC Wild Game Bird - Wild Turkey - these turkeys are very good fliers. Even though they fly relatively close to the ground and only for short distances, they can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour!
  
  
  
  

• More about symbols, emblems - official state plants, animals, gems, foods and drinks, music and dances, and more