In 1929, the society decided that California should name a state insect. They prepared ballots listing three butterfly candidates and sent them to entomologists throughout the state. The nominees were the Lorquin's admiral (Limenitis lorquini), the California sister (Heterochroa californica), and the California dog head or Flying pansy (Zerene eurydice). The California dog head won handily, with 77 votes out of 88 cast. The state legislature took note, and the Bureau of Entomology in the California Department of Agriculture began to use a likeness of the California dog head, labeled "California State Insect" on its documents. No further action took place, however, until 1972, when Assemblyman Kenneth L. Maddy introduced Assembly Bill No. 1843 to make what was by then known as the California dogface the official state insect. Governor Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on July 28, 1972, making California the first in the nation to have a state insect.
