In the center, the provincial shield of arms has a white cross on a red background, with two golden lions representing England and two white unicorns representing Scotland.

The cross is based upon the cross of St. George, but of a different colour. The lions and unicorns are based upon those in the Arms of England, to which the unicorn had been added at the time of the union of England with Scotland.

This coat of arms was assigned by the Garter Principal King of arms on January 1, 1637, following the granting of the whole of Newfoundland to the Marquis of Hamilton, the Earl of Pembroke, the Earl of Holland, and Sir David Kirke.

The crest consists of the provincial shield of arms. Standing above the shield is an elk, an animal erroneously believed to inhabit Newfoundland, perhaps meant to represent the caribou herds. The arms are supported on each side by a European interpretation of Newfoundland's native Beothuk holding a bow. Beneath the shield, the provincial motto "Quaerite prime regnum Dei" ("Seek ye first the kingdom of God") - Matthew 7:23 - appears on a scroll, with a grassy mound.

The existence of this coat of arms was in time forgotten. In 1924 an enquiry from the Imperial War Graves Commission, which was responsible for memorials to members of British Empire forces killed in the 1914-1918 war, led to the discovery of the old arms. They were confirmed and certified by Garter King of Arms February 18, 1925, though apparently not officially revived until January 1, 1928. The former official emblem was the Badge of Newfoundland.

The primary colours of the shield are those of the Labrador flag: green for forests, white for the ice and snow, and blue for the waters. The design also evokes the opening line of the Ode to Labrador: "Dear land of mountains, woods and snow."

The three white mountain peaks represent the founding peoples of Labrador: the Innu, the Inuit, and the Settlers. The four spruce trees symbolize the four points of the compass and the great extent and diversity of the territory, its landscapes and its communities and ways of life. The wavy bars symbolize the lakes and rivers, the bays and the sea. The alternation of white and blue represents the changing of the seasons, and by extension, the history of thousands of years of life in Labrador. The gold star is the Pole Star, symbolic of our northern environment and culture. As a symbol of navigation, it points the way to a bright future.

The shield is supported by two caribou, an animal central to the life and livelihood of all Labrador people. The crest has a snowy owl (uhu, ukpik) on a gold and red wreath. The compartment is a field of Labrador tea and caribou moss. The motto is "unus splendidum mox explebitur" (The splendid task will soon be fulfilled) which is also adapted and translated from the first stanza of the Ode to Labrador.

The Great Seal of Newfoundland was given royal approval in 1827. The lower part of the seal within the elaborate framework depicts Mercury, the god of commerce and merchandise, presenting to Britannia a fisherman who, kneeling, offers her the harvest of the sea.

In 1870, a badge was proposed which would make use of this part of the seal expanded to a circular form. However the proposal was withdrawn and a new design was used instead. The new badge bore a nonstandard crown above the words TERRA NOVA all on a white roundel. This badge was aproved by the Admiralty on September 28, 1870 and would appear on the Governor's flag and Blue Ensigns.

At the beginning of the 20th century there was a trend towards somewhat simpler and more appropriate badges than the local/allegorical scene from the seals of colonies. However Newfoundland took the opposite course and replaced its crown badge with the allegorical scene from the seal that had, in 1870, been proposed and then withdrawn. In 1903, the design on the seal was modified for this purpose by Adelaine Lane, a niece of Governor Sir Cavendish Boyle, and approved by the British government the following year on May 18, 1904. A scroll bearing the words TERRA NOVA above, and below, the words Haec Tibi Dona Fero - "These gifts I bring thee" - and appropriate clothing to improve the decorum of Britannia and the fisherman were added.

The provincial tartan was developed in 1955 by Sam Wilansky, a clothing store owner on Water Street in St. John's. The tartan is predominantly green with gold, white, brown and red bands of colour. He chose most of the colours to correspond with The Ode to Newfoundland.

The puffin has officially been the provincial bird of Newfoundland & Labrador since 1991. It is also known to many as the Sea Parrot, because of its bright multi-coloured beak, or the Baccalieu Bird but its scientific name is Fratercula arctica. Fratercula meaning "little brother" or "friar," is perhaps a reference to the puffin's black and white dress.

Puffins belong to the family of birds called the auks, which are diving seabirds of the northern hemisphere that use their wings to propel themselves underwater in pursuit of prey such as small fish. The Atlantic Puffin is one of four species of puffins and is the only one that lives on the North Atlantic Ocean. About 95% of all North America's puffins breed around the Newfoundland & Labrador coasts.

Marine birds that inhabit cliffs, puffins can dive 50 metres underwater in search of food. Their diet consists mostly of small fish such as caplin and herring, but they also feed on sand eels. These small birds, weighing around one pound, are about 30 cm high. Their wing span is approximately 55 cm, and they can fly up to 80 kmph.

Puffins spend the majority of their lives on the water. They live approximately 25 years, usually mate for life, and produce only one egg per year.

The largest puffin colony in the western Atlantic (225,000 pairs) can be found at the Witless Bay Islands Ecological Reserve, 32km south of St. John's.

The partridge (Lagopus sp) or ptarmigan is the provincial game bird.

There are two partridge species in the province: the Willow Ptarmigan and the Rock Ptarmigan. Arctic birds, both species inhabit barrens and high country. The partridges inhabiting the Burin and Avalon peninsulas occupy the most southerly point of either species' habitat range in North America.

Black spruce	Needles and fruit of a black spruce

Height: 35 ft
Spread: 10 ft
Form: Pyramidal
Type: Narrow-leaved evergreen tree
Annual Growth Rate: 12 to 18 inches

Designated as the provincial tree in November 1993, it is also known as the bog spruce. Although dark bluish-green in colour, it is called the "black" spruce to distinguish it from other types of spruce trees. An evergreen coniferous tree, it is tolerant of nutrient-deficient soils, growing primarily in areas that have poor drainage.

It often has a characteristic cluster of branches at the top forming a club or crow's nest. They have needles which are blue-green color, short, stiff, and four-sided. The needles are arranged in all directions along the twig or mostly pointing upwards. The seed cones are small and purplish. The old cones hang on the tree several years. Pollen cones are dark red.The bark is thin, scaly and dark greenish-brown.

The black spruce is the most abundant tree in Labrador and appears on the Labrador flag. It has had a significant social and economic impact on the growth of Newfoundland. It is the favoured tree in the pulp and paper industry and is widely used for lumber, wharf piers, and firewood. The black spruce has played a prominent role in the lives of aboriginal people and in local folk-medicine. This enduring species is extremely hardy and flourishes in Newfoundland & Labrador's short growing season.

In 1954, the Newfoundland Cabinet designated this interesting plant as the official flower of the province.

The pitcher plant gets its nourishment from insects that are trapped and drown in a pool of water at the base of its tubular leaves. These plants, with their wine and green flowers, are found on bogs and marshes around the province. It is also known as the Indian dipper, the Devil's pipe, and the huntsman's cup.

A mineral discovered in northern Labrador, it was first described by Moravian missionaries in the late 18th century and brought to Europe.

An iridescent crystalline mineral, it is from the plagioclase feldspar group. The crystallized stone is a silicate of aluminum, calcium and sodium. The colour is mainly blue, green, gold, but it can also be pink, purple or show interplay of the entire rainbow. The colour is due to the presence of microscopic plates of different metals such as iron, copper and nickel and their disposition in strict parallel lines.

One of the most interesting characteristics of the semi-precious stone is its angular nature. A piece of it will look like any ordinary stone until you turn it to the right angle. An astonishing play of colours change with the slightest change of angle. It is said that the Indians of Labrador attributed mystical qualities to the stone because of its captivating play of colours or ‘labradoresence.' They called it ‘firestone' and used a powder produced by pulverizing it as a magical potion to cure their ailments.

Found largely in the Nain area of Labrador, it is being mined at Ten Mile Bay by the Labrador Inuit Association.

Labradorite is commonly used in ornamentation for buildings and in making jewellery.

The Victorians gave meanings to flowers in order to express their feelings. Forget-Me-Nots represent lasting love or memories. Also known as Love-Me in England, the Forget-Me-Not flower was worn by women to ensure that their lovers would never forget them. There are two different types of forget-me-nots: large (also, true) and small; both flower from May to October.

As the story has been told, a Knight fell into a river while gathering the little blue flowers for his bride. Just before his armour had pulled him beneath the water to his death, he tossed the flowers to his lover and said, "Forget Me Not!".