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Fast Facts About State Stuff.

New Jersey's state "seal" doesn't live in the ocean! This symbol of the state was designed by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere and presented in May 1777. The three plows in the shield honor the state's agricultural tradition while the horse head stands for speed and strength. The female figures are Liberty (on the left side) and Ceres. Liberty carries the liberty cap on her staff. Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain, symbolizes abundance and holds a cornucopia filled with harvested produce. "Liberty and Prosperity," is the official state motto.

Adopted in 1896, the state flag proudly displays the official state colors: Buff and Jersey Blue. The state seal is emblazoned in blue on a brilliant buff background. Guess who chose these colors? The father of our country-George Washington. He was headquartered in New Jersey during the Revolutionary War and in 1779 chose the colors on the insignia from the state's early Dutch settlers.

The eastern goldfinch was adopted as the New Jersey state bird in 1935. See if one visits your bird feeder and whistle "hello!"

Once we had a state bird, we needed to give it an official place to nest. The red oak (Quercus borealis maxima) was named the official state tree in 1950. We also named the dogwood as the state memorial tree in 1951.

The state flower of New Jersey was originally the violet (Viola sororia), in 1913. By 1971, New Jersey's Garden Clubs helped make the common meadow violet the state flower.

What would the state flower do without a state bug? In 1974, the honeybee (Apis mellifera) became the state bug. So give the next bee you see a big state salute-but don't get stung!

The state animal became the horse (Equus caballus) in 1977. So it makes perfect horse sense that the U.S. Equestrian Team has been headquartered in Gladstone since 1950.

With more than 1,400 miles of trout streams, it's only natural that the brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) became the state's official fish in 1992. So, the next time you catch a brook trout, why not let it off the hook?

The next time you visit the Jersey Shore, you may come across the state shell-the knobbed whelk (Busycon carica gmelin)-which became offical in 1995. It's also known as the conch shell.

In 1991, the Hadrosaurus foulkii became the state dinosaur because it was the world's first complete dinosaur skeleton ever discovered. This historic find in 1858 in Haddonfield, New Jersey, was the scientific evidence needed to prove that dinosaurs really did exist. Since then, other bones have been found in New Jersey, providing even more bonafide proof.

Dance fads may come and go, but there will always be an official state dance in New Jersey - the square dance. It was designated as the American Folk Dance of the State of New Jersey in 1983.

We don't call New Jersey "the Garden State" for nothing-over 150 types of fruits and vegetables are grown here! In 1997, there were 9,400 farms in New Jersey. The state ranks high in cultivated and fresh market produce output for the United States: second in blueberries and eggplant, third in cranberries, peaches, spinach, and bell peppers, fourth in asparagus, and fifth in head lettuce.

Along with the Hudson and Delaware rivers on the eastern and western borders, there are over 4,100 freshwater lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams in New Jersey. This adds up to almost 61,000 acres of water. The state's largest lake is Lake Hopatcong. If you're looking for saltwater, you can explore the state's 127 miles of Atlantic coastline.

From the high elevations in the Skylands mountains to the Southern Shore area surrounded by water, the temperature in New Jersey can vary greatly from region to region. The state's average summer temperature in July is just under 74ºF, while the average winter temperature in January is just over 30ºF. The average annual precipitation can range from 40 inches on the southeastern coast to about 50 inches in North-Central New Jersey.

There are more than 34,000 miles of highways and roads to cruise along in New Jersey. This includes 148 miles of the New Jersey Turnpike and 173 miles of the Garden State Parkway.

Thanks to its broad diversity of habitats, New Jersey is home to nearly 500 vertebrate species of wildlife. Animals range in size from tree frogs to black bears. If you're a bird buff, over 120 species can be found in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville or the nearby Cape May Bird Observatory. While you're at the Shore, take a ride on a whale-watching boat or visit the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, which rescues beached sea creatures.

The majestic schooner, A.J. Meerwald, was named New Jersey's official tall ship in April 1998. It not only serves as a sailing classroom for grades fourth to twelfth, the A.J. Meerwald has also earned a spot in the National Register of Historic Places.