Washington State Field Guides
As the state’s official natural history and cultural museum, the Burke is dedicated to sharing knowledge about the natural world and our place in it. We strive to inspire respect for and curiosity about human life, nature, and the environment.
Learn why our region is so geologically active.The state gem is petrified wood.
See NW Coast Native art and Plateau art. Plus, learn about the tribes of Washington.
See our 71 fish families, hosted by the UW Fish Collection. The state fish is the steelhead trout.
See ancient plants and animals captured in stone. The state fossil is the Columbian mammoth.
Photo credits: Geology, courtesy U.S. National Park Service; Native art, by Nathan Jackson; plants, by Ben Legler; mammals, courtesy of NOAA; reptiles, by Brad Moon; amphibians, by Brad Moon; birds, Wikimedia GNU Free Documentation License; fishes, by Robert W. Hines, courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; fossils, by T.A. Dillhoff.