Utah designated the cherry as official state fruit in 1997. All Food Symbols
The 2nd graders of Millville Elementary School championed the cause for a state fruit. After researching the subject and gathering information on the economic impact of apples, peaches, and cherries upon Utah (and polling other elementary schools across the state), the cherry came out the strong leader. The children gathered the following information to support their choice:
Utah designated allosaurus as the official state fossil in 1988. All State Fossils
Living 145 to 150 million years ago in Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Oklahoma, allosaurus was the most common large carnivore of the Late Jurassic period in North America (a predecessor of the larger Tyrannosaurus of the Cretaceous).
Utah designated the Beehive cluster as an official state symbol in 1996 (Utah also recognizes a state star: Dubhe). All Astronomy Symbols
The Dutch oven was designated the state cooking pot of Utah in 1997. Dutch ovens were a basic necessity for early pioneers; it's also a state symbol of Texas (state cooking vessel) and Arkansas (state historic cooking vessel).
Utah designated blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm) as the official state tree in 1933 (replaced by quaking aspen in 2014). Blue spruce trees are found in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains of Utah at elevations between 6,000 to 11,000 feet (aspens are found in all 29 Utah counties). All State Trees
Wisconsin adopted an official state tartan in 2007. All State Tartans
Utah designated the honeybee as official state insect in 1983 due to the lobbying efforts of a fifth grade class. All State Insects
Utah designated the sego lily (Calochortus nuttalli) as the official state flower in 1911. All State Flowers
Blooming in early summer, the sego lily has white, lilac, or yellow flowers and grows on open grass and sage rangelands in the Great Basin of Utah. The sego lily was chosen as the flower symbol of Utah because of its natural beauty and historic significance (the soft, bulbous root of the sego lily was collected and eaten in the mid 1800's during a crop-devouring plague of crickets in Utah).
The Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis) became the official State animal of Utah in 1971. All Mammal Symbols
Called 'wapiti' by the Shawnee Indians, elk are members of the deer family and associate closely with the deer and moose of Utah. Elk once inhabited most of the USA, but are now found only west of the Rocky Mountains (elk are plentiful in the mountain ranges of Utah).