The What-can-I-say-about-my-state? State

I guess states of the US are proud about their unique characteristics, their quirks. That must be why there are official state flowers, official state birds, official state soils (no kidding!), etc. And why there are official state nicknames. I looked them up today because I can never remember if California is the Golden State or the Sunshine State (it's Golden, Florida is Sunshine), and for some reason, this seemed extremely pressing to me this morning.

It's kind of fun to scan through the list. Anyone out there from Alabama? What IS a yellowhammer? And why exactly is Arkansas the Natural State? Are they all nudists? There are some other interesting ones, but I'll leave you to pick them out on your own while I tell you about my very own, personal favorite state nickname. Kentucky is the Bluegrass State. This might seem very natural (very Arkansasan?) to you. I mean, Kentucky is known for its Kentucky bluegrass, right? It becomes interesting once you learn that that famed Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is an invasive species from Europe.

Fabulous!