The flag of Louisiana consists of a rectangular field of blue with the arms of Louisiana, the pelican vulning herself, in white in the center, with a ribbon beneath, also in white, containing in blue the state motto: 'Union Justice Confidence'. The flag was officially adopted July 1, 1912, and is often referred to as the Pelican flag. In medieval lore, pelicans were believed to be attentive to the needs of their chicks to the point of drawing their own blood to feed their chicks when no other food was available. This image of the pelican in her piety came to symbolize the Passion of Jesus and the Eucharist. William C. C. Claiborne, the first governor of the Orleans Territory, selected a pelican for the territory's first seal and it was a common state symbol prior to being formally adopted in 1912 as part of the state flag. The shape of the mother pelican's head and outspread wings covering the three chicks nestled below her also form a stylized fleur-de-lis, another emblem popular in Louisiana. (Source: Wikipedia.org, CC BY-SA)