A new bill has been introduced in the Michigan House that would designate the State of Michigan to have a state butterfly.
House Bill 4159, introduced by several representatives, would designate the black swallowtail butterfly as the official butterfly of the State of Michigan.
The Smithsonian Institution reports that 48 states have an official state insect or butterfly, with only Michigan and Iowa not having one.
According to the University of Florida's entomology department, the butterfly has two rows of pale yellow spots on its front wings, and hind wings have rows of bright orange spots separated by areas of powdery blue.
Michigan has several state symbols. They are:
- State Bird: American Robin
- State Fish: Brook Trout
- State Flower: Apple Blossom
- State Mammal: White-tailed deer
- State Reptile: Painted Turtle
- State Stone: Petoskey Stone
- State Tree: Eastern White Pine
- State Wildflower: Dwarf Lake Iris
