Adopted in 1911, the current Michigan state flag is the state's third official flag. The 13-cent Michigan State Flag issue (Scott 1658) depicts this flag, which displays the Michigan coat-of-arms on a field of blue.
The state shield features a lake with a yellow sun rising over blue waters. A man stands on a peninsula with one hand raised in a greeting of friendship while the other holds a rifle. An elk and a moose, representing Michigan, support the shield. A bald eagle, representing the U.S., hovers above the shield while grasping an olive branch and arrows in its talons.
Three mottos appear on the coat-of-arms: "E Pluribus Unum” (“From many, one”), "Tuebor” (“I will defend”), and "Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice” (“If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you”). "E Pluribus Unum," the national motto, aligns with the depiction of the bald eagle; "Tuebor" is represented in the arrows clasped in the eagle's talons and the gun held in the man's left hand; and, "Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice" is supported by the warmth of the sun, the man's friendly greeting from the peninsula, and the olive branches held by the bald eagle.
References:
Scott 2005 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers
NETSTATE.com (http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flags/mi_flag.htm)
SHG Resources (http://www.shgresources.com/mi/symbols/flag/)
