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Click on the link below to read the some facts about each state or scroll through to see them all. Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire Connecticut Connecticut is New England’s second smallest and southernmost state. Its 5,009 square miles (13,023 square kilometers) are bordered by New York State on the west, Rhode Island on the east, Massachusetts on the north and by Long Island sound on the south. Taken from the New England Business Directory. Famous People Born in Connecticut Notable figures from the state span American political and cultural history, including Eli Whitney, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, John Brown, Charles Ives, Katharine Hepburn, and many others. Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop! State Flower Designated as the State Flower by the General Assembly in 1907, the Mountain Laurel is perhaps the most beautiful of native American shrubs. Its fragrance and the massed richness of its white and pink blossoms so vividly contrast with the darker colors of the forests and the fields that they have continually attracted the attention of travelers since the earliest days of our colonization. Taken from 50states.com. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Bird The American Robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. Overview The American Robin is 25–28 cm (10–11 in) long. It weighs about 77 g (2.7 oz). It has gray upperparts and head, and orange underparts, usually brighter in the male; the similarity between this coloring and that of the smaller and unrelated European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) led to its common name. There are seven races, but only T. m. confinus in the southwest is particularly distinctive, with pale gray-brown underparts. During the breeding season, the adult males grow distinctive black feathers on their heads; after the breeding season they lose this eye-catching plumage. This bird breeds throughout Canada and the United States. While Robins occasionally overwinter in the northern part of the United States and southern Canada, most winter in the southern parts of the breeding range and beyond, from the southern U.S.A. to Guatemala. Most depart south by the end of August and begin to return north in February and March. (Exact dates vary with latitude and climate.) This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe. In autumn 2003, migration was displaced eastwards leading to massive movements through the eastern USA. Presumably this is what led to no fewer than three American Robins being found in Great Britain, with two attempting to overwinter in 2003–2004, one eventually being taken by a Eurasian Sparrowhawk. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop! As with many migratory birds, the males return to the summer breeding grounds before the females and compete with each other for nesting sites. The females then select mates based on the males' songs, plumage, and territory quality. The females build the nest and lay three or four blue eggs in the lined cup. Incubation, almost entirely by the female is 11–14 days to hatching, with another 15–16 days to fledging. Two broods in a season are common. The adult male looks after the fledged chicks while female incubates her second clutch. Some people enjoy the Robin's presence, and want to protect the chicks; they do this by building nesting shelves for the Robin's use. Bird banders found that only 25% of young robins survive the first year. The American Robin's habitat is all sorts of woodland and more open farmland and urban areas. Food is the typical thrush mixture consisting largely of insects and earthworms. Robins are also fond of some berries, including those of the black cherry tree; they will fly in especially to feed on them during the period when they ripen. Robins are frequently seen running across lawns, picking up earthworms by sight. In fact, the running and stopping behavior is a distinguishing characteristic. When stopping, they are believed to be listening for the movement of prey. Without showing symptoms, the American Robin is sometimes a carrier of the West Nile virus in the Western hemisphere. This is the state bird of Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop! Song and Calls The American Robin, like many thrushes, has a beautiful and complex song, and in contrast to other thrushes, its song is almost continuous. Its song is commonly described as a cheerily carol song. The song is made of discrete units, often repeated, and spliced together into a string with brief pauses in between. The song varies regionally, and its style varies by time of day. American Robins will often be among the last songbirds singing as the evening sets in. In addition to its song, the American Robin has a number of calls used for communicating specific information. When a ground predator approaches but does not directly threaten, Robins will make a PEEK!! tut tut tut tut... warning call. When a nest or Robin is being directly threatened, another call is used, which sounds like a horse's whinny. Even during nesting season, when Robins exhibit mostly competitive and territorial behavior, they may still band together to drive away a predator. Robins also make a very high-pitched sound when a hawk or other bird of prey is seen; other robins will repeat the sound, seek cover, and stop moving. During the colder parts of the year, the American Robin gathers in flocks around food sources, and there is yet another call that is heard in such flocks. Trivia Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Connecticut is so interesting, I want to know more. |
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Maine The capitol city of Maine is Augusta, in Kennebec County. Land Area: 33,215 square miles, Length of Coastline: 3,500 miles Taken from the New England Business Directory. Miscellaneous Facts Four U.S. Navy ships have been named USS Maine in honor of the state. The noted American ecologist Rachel Carson did much of her research at one of the Maine seacoast's most characteristic features, a tide pool for her classic "The Edge of the Sea." The spot where she conducted observations is now preserved as the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Reserve at Pemaquid Point. Maine is the only U.S. state to have a name one syllable long; all other 49 states have at least two syllables. Maine is the only U.S. state to only be bordered by one state (New Hampshire); all other 49 states have multiple or zero bordering states. The town of Lubec, Maine is the easternmost point in the United States. Eastport, Maine is the easternmost city in the United States. Estcourt Station is Maine's northernmost point and also the northernmost point in the New England region of the United States. Maine is the number one exporter of blueberries and toothpicks. Cadillac Mountain in Bar Harbor, Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park, and Mars Hill Mountain in Mars Hill each battle to be the first site in the contiguous United States to see the morning's sunlight. [4]Maine's first light depends on the time of year, as the sunrise moves from South to North. From October 7 to March 6, Cadillac Mountain is first. From March 7 to March 24, East Quoddy Head is first in the country. Warmer months, March 25 to September 18, Mars Hill Mountain sees first light. Then, when the sun starts getting lower in the sky, The country's day begins between September 19 to October 6 back at East Quoddy Head. Maine has 62 lighthouses. Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Flower White pine cone and tassel (Pinus strobus, linnaeus). Adopted by the Legislature of 1895. The White pine is considered to be the largest conifer in the northeastern United States. Leaves (needles) are soft, flexible and bluish-green to silver green in color and are regularly arranged in bundles of five. Needles are 2½–5 inches long and are usually shed at the end of the second growing season. Flowers (strobili) occur on the tree. Cones are 4–8 inches in length, usually slightly curved. Cone scales are thin and never have prickles. Cones also have a fragrant gummy resin. Taken from 50states.com. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Bird The Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapilla, is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already. Adults have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their underparts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is grey. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a long tail. Their breeding habitat is mixed or deciduous woods in Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. They nest in a hole in a tree; the pair excavates the nest, using a natural cavity or sometimes an old woodpecker nest. They may interbreed with Carolina Chickadees or Mountain Chickadees where their ranges overlap. The Black-capped and Carolina chicadees are virtually impossible to tell apart visually, but they are readily distinguished by call. Their point of overlap is near New Brunswick, New Jersey. They are permanent residents, but sometimes move south within their range in winter. On cold winter nights, these birds reduce their body temperature by up to 10–12 °C to conserve energy. During the fall migration and winter, chickadees often flock together. Many other species of birds, including titmice, nuthatches, and warblers can often be found foraging in these flocks. Mixed flocks stay together because the chickadees call out whenever they find a good source of food. This calling out forms cohesion for the group, allowing the other birds to find food more efficiently. When flocking, Black-capped Chickadees soon establish a rigid social hierarchy. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop! Calls The vocalizations of Black-capped chickadees are highly complex (Ficken et al., 1978). 13 distinct types of vocalizations have been classified, many of which are complex and can communicate different types of information. Chickadees' complex vocalizations are likely an evolutionary adaptation to their habitat: they live and feed in dense vegetation, and even when the flock is close together, individual birds tend to be out of each others' visual range. The song of the Black-capped is a simple, clear whistle of two notes, identical in rhythm, the first roughly a whole-step below the second. This is distinguished from the Carolina chickadee's four-note call fee-bee fee-bay; the lower notes are nearly identical but the higher fee notes are omitted, making the Black-capped song like bee bay. The males only sing the song when in relative isolation from other chickadees (including their mates). In late summer, some young birds will sing only a single note. Both sexes sometimes make a faint version of the song, and this appears to be used when feeding young. The most familiar call is the familiar chick-a-dee-dee-dee which gave this bird its name. This simple-sounding call is astonishingly complex. It has been observed to consist of up to four distinct units which can be arranged in different patterns to communicate information about threats from predators and coordination of group movement. Recent study of the call shows that the number of dees indicates the level of threat from nearby predators. An analysis of over 5,000 alarm calls from chickadees, it was found that alarm calls triggered by small, dangerous raptors had a shorter interval between chick and dee and tended to have extra dees, usually averaging four instead of two. In one case, a warning call about a pygmy owl, a prime threat to chickadees, contained 23 dees (Templeton et al., 2005). The Carolina Chickadee makes a similar call which is faster and higher-pitched. There are a number of other calls and sounds that these Chickadees make, such as a gargle noise which is usually used by males to indicate a threat of attacking another male, often when feeding. This call is also used in sexual contexts. This noise is among the most complex of the calls, containing 2–9 of 14 distinct notes in one population that was studied. Chickadees in Culture
Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Maine is so interesting, I want to know more. |
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Massachusetts Massachusetts is 190 miles, east-west, and 110 miles, north- south, at its widest parts. The northern, or New Hampshire-Vermont border, runs almost due east and west for 135 miles; the western, or New York boundary, is 49 miles long. On the south, Massachusetts borders Connecticut for 91 miles and Rhode Island for 65 miles. Taken from the New England Business Directory. Miscellaneous Facts The Commonwealth's nickname is the Bay State. Other nicknames are the Old Colony State, and less commonly the Puritan state and the Baked Bean state. On December 18, 1990, the Legislature decided that the people of the Commonwealth would be designated as Bay Staters. Seven ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Massachusetts in honor of this state. When the Governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office, the office of Governor remains vacant for the rest of the 4 year term. The Lieutenant Governor does not succeed but only discharges powers and duties as Acting Governor. The front doors of the state house are only opened when a governor leaves office or a head of state comes to visit the State House. It is also traditionally opened for the return of flags from Massachusetts regiments at the end of wars. The tradition of the ceremonial door originated when leaving governor Benjamin Butler kicked open the front door and walked out by himself in 1884. South Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade is the second-largest in the country, annually attracting more than 850,000 spectators. Massachusetts is the first state in the union to mandate health insurance for all its citizens. See Massachusetts 2006 Health Reform Statute for more details. The Boston Cream Doughnut is the official Doughnut of the Commonwealth. For other official symbols, see List of official symbols of Massachusetts. In Harry Potter, the Fitchburg Finches, mentioned in the Quidditch Through the Ages replica school book, are from Massachusetts. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop! Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
State Flower Other common names—Gravel plant, Mayflower, shadflower, ground laurel, mountain pink, winter pink. Habitat and range—Trailing- arbutus spread out on the ground in sandy soil, being found from Newfoundland to Michigan and Saskatchewan and south to Kentucky and Florida. Description.—This plant, generally referred to in the drug trade as gravel plant but more popularly known as ‘‘trailing-arbutus” spreads on the ground with stem 6 or more in length. It has rust-colored, hairy twigs bearing leathery, evergreen leaves from 1 to 3 inches long and about half as wide. The flower clusters, which appear from March to May, consist of fragrant, delicate, shell pink, waxy blossoms. Part used.—The leaves, gathered at flowering time. Taken from 50states.com I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Bird The Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapilla, is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already. Adults have a black cap and bib with white sides to the face. Their underparts are white with rusty brown on the flanks; their back is grey. They have a short dark bill, short wings and a long tail. Their breeding habitat is mixed or deciduous woods in Canada, Alaska and the northern United States. They nest in a hole in a tree; the pair excavates the nest, using a natural cavity or sometimes an old woodpecker nest. They may interbreed with Carolina Chickadees or Mountain Chickadees where their ranges overlap. The Black-capped and Carolina chicadees are virtually impossible to tell apart visually, but they are readily distinguished by call. Their point of overlap is near New Brunswick, New Jersey. They are permanent residents, but sometimes move south within their range in winter. On cold winter nights, these birds reduce their body temperature by up to 10–12 °C to conserve energy. During the fall migration and winter, chickadees often flock together. Many other species of birds, including titmice, nuthatches, and warblers can often be found foraging in these flocks. Mixed flocks stay together because the chickadees call out whenever they find a good source of food. This calling out forms cohesion for the group, allowing the other birds to find food more efficiently. When flocking, Black-capped Chickadees soon establish a rigid social hierarchy. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop! Calls The vocalizations of Black-capped chickadees are highly complex (Ficken et al., 1978). 13 distinct types of vocalizations have been classified, many of which are complex and can communicate different types of information. Chickadees' complex vocalizations are likely an evolutionary adaptation to their habitat: they live and feed in dense vegetation, and even when the flock is close together, individual birds tend to be out of each others' visual range. The song of the Black-capped is a simple, clear whistle of two notes, identical in rhythm, the first roughly a whole-step below the second. This is distinguished from the Carolina chickadee's four-note call fee-bee fee-bay; the lower notes are nearly identical but the higher fee notes are omitted, making the Black-capped song like bee bay. The males only sing the song when in relative isolation from other chickadees (including their mates). In late summer, some young birds will sing only a single note. Both sexes sometimes make a faint version of the song, and this appears to be used when feeding young. The most familiar call is the familiar chick-a-dee-dee-dee which gave this bird its name. This simple-sounding call is astonishingly complex. It has been observed to consist of up to four distinct units which can be arranged in different patterns to communicate information about threats from predators and coordination of group movement. Recent study of the call shows that the number of dees indicates the level of threat from nearby predators. An analysis of over 5,000 alarm calls from chickadees, it was found that alarm calls triggered by small, dangerous raptors had a shorter interval between chick and dee and tended to have extra dees, usually averaging four instead of two. In one case, a warning call about a pygmy owl, a prime threat to chickadees, contained 23 dees (Templeton et al., 2005). The Carolina Chickadee makes a similar call which is faster and higher-pitched. There are a number of other calls and sounds that these Chickadees make, such as a gargle noise which is usually used by males to indicate a threat of attacking another male, often when feeding. This call is also used in sexual contexts. This noise is among the most complex of the calls, containing 2–9 of 14 distinct notes in one population that was studied. Chickadees in Culture
Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Massachusetts is so interesting, I want to know more. |
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New Hampshire New Hampshire is bordered on the north by the Canadian province of Quebec; on the east by Maine and the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by Massachusetts; and the on the west by Vermont. Taken from the New England Business Directory. Miscellaneous Facts In Charlestown there is the reconstructed Fort at Number 4 from the 1740s and 1750s. New Hampshire is host to the New Hampshire Highland Games. New Hampshire has also registered an official tartan with the proper authorities in Scotland, used to make kilts worn by the State Police while they serve during the games. New Hampshire is the healthiest state in the nation, tied with Minnesota, as ranked by the United Health Foundation, 2003. New Hampshire has the only piece of Interstate highway that is two-lane (a single northbound lane and a single southbound lane) with a cobblestone median. This was done to preserve Franconia Notch, the site of the Old Man of the Mountain, a former rock formation visible from Interstate 93 in Franconia. Its license plates boast the famous state motto: "Live free or die." New Hampshire was the last of the New England states to observe Fast Day, a day of prayer for a bountiful harvest. It was a legal holiday until 1991, when it was replaced by Civil Rights Day, which was later renamed "Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Day", becoming the second to last state to have a "Martin Luther King" day. [5] In 2003, it gained international attention for having the first openly gay bishop of a large mainline Christian church, Gene Robinson, within the Anglican Communion (the Episcopal Church in the United States of America). New Hampshire's recreational attractions include skiing and other winter sports; "leaf-peeping" or observing the spectacular fall foliage; summer cottages along many lakes; and the New Hampshire International Speedway, home of the Loudon Classic, the longest-running motorcycle race in the United States. USS New Hampshire was named in honor of this state. Killington, Vermont has twice voted to secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire—a largely symbolic act, since secession would require the agreement of both states' legislatures and the U.S. Congress. Supporters of secession note that almost all Vermont towns were first chartered by New Hampshire and point out that the two states already have some unusual cross-border links, including two of the rare interstate school districts in the United States (a third is shared by Oregon and Nevada). Keene held the world record for the most jack-o’-lanterns in one place (28,952) until 2006, when it was beaten by Boston (30,128). Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Flower The purple lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is the state flower of New Hampshire. New Hampshire historian Leon Anderson writes in To This Day that the purple lilac was first imported from England and planted at the Portsmouth home of Governor Benning Wentworth in 1750. It was adopted as our state’s flower in 1919. That year bills and amendments were introduced promoting the apple blossom, purple aster, wood lily, Mayflower, goldenrod, wild pasture rose, evening primrose and buttercup as the state flower. A long and lively debate followed regarding the relative merits of each flower. The purple lilac was ultimately chosen, according to Anderson in New Hampshire’s Flower—Tree—Bird because it “is symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State.” New Hampshire Revised Statute Annotated (RSA) 3:5 Taken from 50states.com I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Bird The Purple Finch, Carpodacus purpureus, is a small finch. Adults have a short forked brown tail and brown wings. Adult males are raspberry red on the head, breast, back and rump; their back is streaked. Adult females have light brown upperparts and white underparts with dark brown streaks throughout; they have a white line on the face above the eye. Their breeding habitat is coniferous and mixed forest in Canada and the northeastern United States, as well as various wooded areas along the U.S. Pacific coast. They nest on a horizontal branch or in a fork of a tree. Birds from northern Canada migrate to the southern United States; other birds are permanent residents. These birds forage in trees and bushes, sometimes in ground vegetation. They mainly eat seeds, berries and insects. They are fond of sunflower seeds, millet, and thistle. This bird has been displaced from some habitat by House Sparrows and then the introduction of House Finches in the east. This is the state bird of New Hampshire. Interesting Purple Finch Facts The Purple Finch population has declined sharply in the East due to the House Finch. Most of the time, when these two species collide, the House Finch wins over the Purple Finch. There are two subspecies of the Purple Finch. One is found in the Pacific Coast while the other is found in the East. The Pacific Coast Purple Finch is more common and has duller colors. Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. New Hampshire is so interesting, I want to know more. |
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Rhode Island The official name of Rhode Island is “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” Known as the smallest state in the union Rhode Island measures 1,214 square miles, North to South—48 miles; East to West—37 miles. Taken from the New England Business Directory. Popluar Culture The Justice League of America's first headquarters was despicted in the comic books as be in a cave in the fictional district of Happy Harbor, in Rhode Island. The Showtime series Brotherhood is set in is set in Providence, Rhode Island. The animated sitcom Family Guy (1999–2002; 2005–present) is set in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. Outside Providence (Movie, 1999), Directed by Michael Corrente, starring Alec Baldwin. There's Something About Mary (Movie 1998), Directed by the Farrelly brothers, starring Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller, romantic comedy partially set in Providence, Cumberland and Barrington Providence (A TV Series originally seen on the NBC network) Providence, a 1991 American/Canadian movie with Keanu Reeves Dumb and Dumber (Movie) Me, Myself and Irene (Movie, 2000), Directed by the Farrelly brothers, starring Jim Carrey who plays a Rhode Island State Trooper with multiple personalities. Doctor Doctor (TV-Series set in Providence, 1989–1991) The Last Shot (Movie, 2004) , starring Alec Baldwin and Mathew Broderick Federal Hill (Movie, 1994) The Witches of Eastwick (Movie, 1987) Directed by George Miller, starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer. Set in the fictional town of Eastwick, Rhode Island. On FOX's popular X-Files (1993–2001) TV series, character Fox Mulder's family lives in Chepachet, a small town in the Northern area of the state. His mother retires to Quonochontaug, an even smaller community in South County. The popular videogame Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem is focused around the happenings in a mansion in Rhode Island. In the movie "The Cat in the Hat", The Cat mentions that you never see Rhode Island license plates. Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Flower Violets (Viola) are a genus of flowering plants in the family Violaceae, with around 400–500 species throughout the world, mainly in the temperate Northern Hemisphere but also in Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes in South America. They are typically found in moist and slightly shaded conditions such as hedgerows. Most violets are small perennial plants, but a few are annual plants and some are small shrubs. They typically have heart-shaped leaves, and asymmetrical flowers with four upswept or fan-shaped petals, two each side, and one broad, lobed lower petal pointing downward. The shape of the petals defines many species, for example, some violets have a "spur" on the end of each petal. Flower colours vary in the genus; many are violet as their name suggests, and some are blue, some yellow, some white, some cream; some are bicolored, often blue and yellow. Flowering is often profuse, and may last for much of the spring and summer. One quirk of some violets is the elusive scent of their flowers; along with terpenes, a major component of the scent is a ketone compound called ionone, which temporarily desensitises the receptors in the nose; this prevents any further scent from being detected from the flower. Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Bird The Rhode Island Red (Gallus gallus) is a very popular breed of chicken. They are a utility bird, raised for meat and eggs, and also as show birds. Appearance Its feathers are a Mahogany dark red/brown lustre, bordering on black. Some have purple spots or green stripes. They have red/orange eyes and yellow feet. Chicks are a light red to tan color with two dark brown bars running down their backs. History The Rhode Island Red was originally bred in Adamsville, a small village which is part of Little Compton, Rhode Island. In 1925 the Rhode Island Red Club of America donated funds for an elegant monument to the Rhode Island Red in Adamsville, near the baseball field and across the street from what used to be Abraham Manchester’s restaurant. (The monument is now on the National Register of Historic Places.) A competing monument to the Rhode Island Red, claiming its creation not for the poultry fanciers, but for the farmers who grew them commercially in great numbers in Little Compton, was erected by the state in 1954 a mile or so south of Adamsville. Characteristics Rhode Island Reds are tough birds, resistant to illness, good at foraging and free ranging, and are typically docile, quiet and friendly. Eggs Rhode Island Reds are excellent egg layers, producing up to 250 to 300 large, light brown eggs per year. Meat Rhode Island Reds are also bred for meat, with Cockerels weighing in at around four kilograms, and Hens slightly less. History Rhode Island Reds were originally bred from chickens in Little Compton, Rhode Island around 1900, and is now the state bird of Rhode Island. Rhode Island Reds and Sussex are also used for many modern hybrid breeds. Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Rhode Island is so interesting, I want to know more. |
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Vermont Vermont is the second largest state in New England after Maine. Dominating the state’s geography are the Green Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. Taken from the New England Business Directory. Miscellaneous Facts Vermont is the birthplace of former presidents Calvin Coolidge and Chester A. Arthur. Vermont is one of four states (along with Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine) to have prohibited all billboards from view of highway rights-of-way by law, except for signs on the contiguous property of the business location. A major political issue for some years has been taxation and education funding. The town of Killington is currently trying to secede from Vermont and join New Hampshire due to what the locals say is an unfair tax burden.[5][6] Vermont has many festivals, including the Vermont Maple Festival, Festival on the Green [7], the Enosburg Falls Dairy Festival, the Apple Festival (held each Columbus Day Weekend), the Marlboro Music Festival, and the Vermont Mozart Festival. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is supported by the state and performs throughout the area. The Poetry Society of Vermont publishes a literary magazine called The Green Mountain Troubadore which encourages submissions from members of various ages. Every year they hold various contests—one being for high school age young people. The Brattleboro-based Vermont Theatre Company presents an annual summer Shakespeare festival. Brattleboro also hosts the summertime Strolling of the Heifers parade which celebrates Vermont's unique dairy culture. Montpelier is home to the annual Green Mountain Film Festival. In the Northeast Kingdom, The Bread and Puppet Theatre holds weekly shows in Glover in a natural outdoor amphitheater. One of Vermont's best known musical exports is group Phish, whose members met while attending school in Vermont. The state has always held great importance for Phish—for example, lead singer and guitarist Trey Anastasio built a studio in Vermont used by the band and others, called The Barn. Phish ended their tenure together as a band with a farewell concert weekend in the state's Northeast Kingdom, which was dubbed "Coventry" after (in part) the venue city of Coventry, Vermont, on August 16, 2004. Vermont was the last state to get a Wal-Mart (there are four, as of December 2006, but only one was a newly-built big box), is currently the only state without a Lowe's or Target (as of December 2006), and it remains the only state without a McDonald's restaurant or big box store within the city limits of the capital. Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Flower No. 159 of the Acts of 1894, effective February 1, 1895, designated the Red Clover as the official State Flower. Both an integral part of many a cultivated hay field and a common sight along numerous Vermont roadsides, the Red Clover is symbolic of Vermont’s scenic countryside generally and of its dairy farms in particular. Oddly enough, however, Trifolium pratense is not a native of Vermont but was “naturalized” from Europe. It is a herbaceous perennial plant, very variable in size, growing to 20–80 cm tall. The leaves are trifoliate (with three leaflets), each leaflet 15–30 mm long and 8–15 mm broad, green with a characteristic pale crescent in the outer half of the leaf; the petiole is 1–4 cm long, with two basal stipules. The flowers are dark pink with a paler base, 12–15 mm long, produced in a dense inflorescence 2–3 cm diameter. The plant was named Trifolium pratense by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753. Pratense is Latin for "found in meadows". It is widely grown as a fodder crop, valued for its nitrogen fixation which increases soil fertility. Several Cultivar Groups have been selected for agricultural use, mostly derived from var. sativum. It has become naturalised in many temperate areas, including the Americas and Australasia as an escape from cultivation. The isoflavones and phytoestrogens from Red Clover have been used to treat the symptoms of menopause. Women who are pregnant and breastfeeding should avoid ingesting Red Clover. It has also been reported that red clover can be used for therapeutic purposes for coughs, bronchitis, eczema, sores, scrofula and can be gargled for mouth ulcers and sore throats. It is the national flower of Denmark and the state flower of Vermont. It is an ingredient of the smoking mixture sold as Spice. It is also an ingredient in eight-herb essiac tea. Taken from 50State.com and the Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. I’ve seen enough, I want to shop!
State Bird The Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus) is a medium-sized North American thrush. It is not very closely related to the other North American migrant species of Catharus, but rather to the Russet Nightingale-thrush (Winker & Pruett, 2006). This species is 15–17 cm in length, and has the white-dark-white underwing patterm characteristic of Catharus thrushes. Adults are mainly brown on the upperparts, with reddish tails. The underparts are white with dark spots on the breast and grey or brownish flanks. They have pink legs and a white eye ring. Birds in the east are more olive-brown on the upperparts; western birds are more grey-brown. Their breeding habitat is coniferous or mixed woods across Canada, Alaska and the northeastern and western United States. They make a cup nest on the ground or relatively low in a tree. Hermit Thrushes migrate to wintering grounds in the southern United States and south to Central America. They are very rare vagrants to western Europe. They forage on the forest floor, also in trees or shrubs, mainly eating insects and berries. The Hermit Thrush’s song[1] is ethereal and flute-like, constructed from a descending musical phrase repeated at different pitches. They often sing from a high open location.
I’ve seen enough, I want to shop! The Hermit Thrush is the state bird of Vermont. Walt Whitman construes the Hermit Thrush as a symbol of the American voice, poetic and otherwise, in his elegy for Abraham Lincoln, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d,”[2] one of the fundamental texts in the American literary canon.
“A Hermit Thrush”[3] is the name of a poem by the American poet Amy Clampitt. The Former Canadian Indie Rock Band Thrush Hermit took their name from a reversal of the two parts. Identification Tips: Length: 6 inches Taken from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Vermont is so interesting, I want to know more. |
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