Do you know New Jersey's state symbols?

Kaitlyn Kanzler | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Meet the State Reptile of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy officially made the bog turtle the state reptile of New Jersey.

Students have a proud history of championing for state symbols. Their efforts before state representatives have resulted in a state bug, state fruit and a state animal.

Even New Jersey's moniker became official thanks to a little inspiration from a Girl Scout troop. The state officially became the Garden State in 2017 with the signing of a bill by then-Gov. Chris Christie.

Next up might just be the state muffin. It's a Vorhees' student's pet project.

Check out New Jersey's state symbols and how they came to be.

State reptile: Bog turtle

Once as prolific as potholes, the bog turtle at one time could be found in all but three New Jersey counties. But in 1997, one of the smallest and rarest turtles in North America was first federally listed as a threatened species. It became New Jersey's state reptile in June 2018.

On hot days these tiny turtles like to escape into the soft, cool muck of the area's wetlands, natural pools and rivulets. They lay their eggs in summer in rotted tree stumps, islands raised off the ground and other drier areas. In cooler months, they steal away to underground root systems.

They're not picky eaters. They do prefer slugs, but will also munch on carrion, small berries, seeds, young cattail shoots and duckweed. Yum.

State bug: Honeybee

In June 1974, the honeybee was officially made by the state bug when former Gov. Brendan Byrne signed the bill. Students from the Sunnybrae School in Hamilton Township went to Trenton and gave a presentation that included a song and a poem.

Hopefully our state bug won't have to be replaced as colonies face extinction because of parasites, pesticides, poor nutrition and disease. Honeybees are essential to the environment as they pollinate plants. Bees pollinate one out of every three bites of American food and $15 billion worth of crops annually.

State fruit: Blueberry

Of course New Jersey's state fruit is the blueberry. Many a kid spent spring into late fall filling pails with blueberries, probably tucking away more in their tummies rather than in their buckets. It's not uncommon to see blueberry wine or other blueberry products in stores and at farm stands around the state. Fourth-graders at Veteran's Memorial Elementary School in Brick campaigned in 2003 to have it made the state fruit and it became official in 2004.

The blueberry was first cultivated in Whitesbog, which was a village in the early 1900s that also served as a cranberry (which happens to be Massachusetts state fruit) bog. Whitesbog is part of Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and is listed a National and State Registers of Historic Sites. Whitesbog is about to have its 35th annual blueberry festival on June 23 and 24.

State animal: Horse

It also makes sense that the horse is the state animal. Horse culture has always been important to the state because of the number of farms that used to cover the Garden State. If you drive along the roads of New Jersey, it's not hard to find these majestic and hardworking animals grazing in green pastures. Or they can be seen racing at several horse tracks in the state including Meadowlands Racetrack, Monmouth Park and Freehold Raceway.

In 1977, Michael McCarthy and his fifth-grade class at Our Lady of Victories School in Harrington Park and Freehold eight-grader James Sweetman petitioned to have this very important animal made the state animal. Horses are also included on the state seal.

State flower: Violet

It is easy to spot this vividly purple (and sometimes purple and white) state flower dotting backyards and lawns once spring has sprung. The violet is a popular state flower, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Wisconsin also designating it as their state flower.

It can also be eaten! The violet is used to make candies and jellies, is high in vitamin A and is rumored to have more vitamin C than oranges. Garden clubs around the state petitioned the Legislature in 1971 to make the flower after originally being proposed in 1913.

State bird: Eastern goldfinch

The goldfinch is easy to spot with its bright yellow feathers. While it frequents birdfeeders set out in front and backyards, it loves to eat thistle and sunflower seeds. Male goldfinches are the ones with the bright yellow bodies with black wings and tails while the females are more of an olive-yellow tone. In the winter, the male goldfinches adopt a similar coloring.

It was made the state bird in 1935, and Washington and Iowa also have this handsome animal as its state bird.

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State fish: Brook trout

Native to New Jersey, the brook trout is a beautiful fish and easily identifiable by their speckles which gives it its other nickname, the speckled trout. They are big fans of aquatic insects and will eat small crayfish and other small fish.

It was made the official state fish in 1992. These freshwater fish can only survive in cool, clean and pure water so its always a good sign if there are brook trout in the river. Polluted water is a no-no for them.

State tree: Red oak

It wouldn't be late summer or fall without going outside barefoot and stepping on a sharp and painful acorn from the red oak, which became New Jersey's official state tree in 1950. It gets its name from the slight red color of its wood but it also turns quiet red when the leaves begin to change. The tree is a source of food for a ton of animals including birds, deer, bears, squirrels, rabbits and other rodents.

The tree serves as a source of hardwood lumber with is heavy and durable wood. Its used for railroad ties, fence posts, furniture, flooring and firewood.

State dinosaur: Hadrosaurus foulkii

While it seems strange to think the dinosaurs could be found in New Jersey, a fossil hobbyist named William Parker Foulke was vacationing in Haddonfield in 1858 when he heard that extremely large bones had been found 20 years earlier in a marl pit. He had workers spend the summer and fall digging up the bones of an animal that turned out to be larger than an elephant.

The Hadrosaurus is a duck-billed dinosaur that once called the forests and swamps along the state's coast home and has features of a lizard and bird. It was named the state dinosaur in 1991.

State shell: Knobbed whelk

Who knew we had a state shell? The knobbed whelk, also known as a conch, is a common sight on Jersey beaches and definitely a good keepsake for when you go home. The snail inside the shell is canned for food after it's harvested from its shell (and boy, are they tasty).

Georgia also claims the knobbed whelk as its state shell. New Jersey designated this beautiful yellowish-gray shell as its state symbol in 1995.

State dance: Square dance

Know what's even stranger than learning your state has a state shell? Finding out your state has a state dance. The square dance was made the American Folk Dance of the state by a joint resolution in 1983.

The folk dance commonly associated with gingham skirts and cowboy hats is actually the state dance in 22 states and is often the subject of bills attempting to make it the national folk dance. Square dancing events happen all over the state.

State ship: The A.J. Meerwald

The A.J. Meerwald is a former Delaware Bay Oyster Schooner built in 1928 in Dorchester that was used in the local oyster trade. It was made the state ship in 1998 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

It now serves as a hand-on learning environment as part of the Bayshore Center in Bilave, allowing people to learn about sailing aboard the schooner.

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Bonus: New Jersey's state song

Bonus: New Jersey is the only state without a state song! So let's pick one! Vote in the poll below. (Sorry Springsteen fans, we all know "Born to Run" is Jersey's "real" state song so we're leaving it off the list.)

Staff writer Jessica Presinzano contributed to this report.