December 21, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie
But always Ohio State Buckeyes
After living in Alabama since November 1, I feel tempted to call us transplanted Alabamians.
We have learned to love the beaches here in southern Alabama especially and are tempted to stay even longer.
Alabama State Flag
I learned that the Alabama state flag is a red x on a white background. It is supposed to resemble the crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white. We see a lot of these state flags flying.
Since we have already been here for nearly two months and are planning to stay another month, I thought it would be nice to learn more about the great state of Alabama.
Alabama State Bird
According to Wikipedia, the Alabama state bird is the Northern Flicker.
Photo Copyright: © ficusfoxone — http://www.redbubble.com/people/ficusfoxon
The northern flicker or common flicker is a medium-sized bird of the woodpecker family.
It is native to most of North America, parts of Central America, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, and is one of the few woodpecker species that migrate.
I would love to see one of these birds while we are here and get my own photograph of one.
But — according to Encyclopedia Brittanica, the Alabama state bird is the yellowhammer. One of the nicknames of Alabama is the Yellowhammer State.
Either way, I have never seen either one of these birds in person and would love to find them.
Alabama State Flower
Photo Copyright https://camforest.com/products/c-jacks
The Alabama state flower is the camellia. It is a gorgeous flower and I have yet to see any of them.
Being here during November, December, and January is the ideal time for them to bloom, but I have yet to find any.
I guess I will need to be more observant of some of the blooms we see as we drive down the road.
Alabama State Tree
The Alabama state tree is the longleaf pine. We have seen a lot of these all the way from the northern part of the state down here to the southern tip. We even found bald eagles nesting in them.
The capital of Alabama is Montgomery and the oldest city is Mobile as it was founded in 1702. I hope to explore Mobile in the coming weeks, but we haven’t ventured that way yet.
A couple of interesting points —
Alabama has some of the strictest laws in the nation surrounding abortion. All abortions after the point of conception–the fertilization of an egg–is illegal. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
Marijuana is only legal for medical purposes in Alabama.
Patients eligible to buy weed in Alabama can only do so at licensed marijuana dispensaries.
As of August 2023, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission just awarded licenses to four medical marijuana dispensaries and five integrated facilities with approved dispensary locations.
This means that the legal sale of cannabis will likely begin in late 2023 or early 2024. When sales begin, consumers will not be allowed to buy smokable cannabis flower, marijuana paraphernalia, hash and concentrates.
Sales of recreational marijuana remain illegal in Alabama.
https://www.alabamacannabis.org
Thanks for coming along with us on our journeys and learning more about the states we visit.