Symbolism (Idle query)

[Robert A. (Bob) Morris]

Anax junius, locally known as the Green Darner Dragonfly, was designated
the official insect of the state of Washington in 1997. (See
http://www.americasflowers.com/kids/wakids.html for the other official
symbols of Washington state, including the state bird, the state
fruit, the state fish, and the state folk song).


As of December 4, 1999 there were 14,797 signatures on a petition to
make A. junius the state insect of Michigan
(http://members.aol.com/YESnetwk/Progress.html).

My question: is it uniquely American for a political jursidiction to
have an official insect? And what role does an official insect
actually play, other than to be designated?

By the way, of 124 pages on the web mentioning A. junius, I could only
find two that told me what it might eat for dinner, which is what sent
me looking in the first place.

--Bob