That's an awesome map.
I was curious about Utah's beehive. The answer is, of course, because Mormons.
"The beehive is the state symbol of Utah. The early Mormon settlers used the symbol of the honeybee to represent hard work and industriousness. They saw the example of a beehive, in which all of the workers cooperated in the construction of something much bigger than themselves, as a model for a properly run society. In fact, the territorial leaders wanted the state to be called "Deseret", which is a scriptural word for 'honeybee'. This was rejected by Congress, but the symbolism of the honeybee still survives within the state."
