If you happen to see a Pink-edged Sulphur while you’re out hiking this summer, take a picture.

It’s now officially the Maine State Butterfly, thanks to the efforts of two enterprising fifth graders from Old Orchard Beach.

Tate Graham and Oscar Stanton got the ball rolling last fall when they wrote a letter to state Rep. Lori Gramlich (D-Old Orchard Beach) asking her to sponsor a bill to designate an official state butterfly.

After all, they reasoned, “other states have state butterflies, why not us?”

They proposed the Hessel’s hairstreak, found in York County, in part because of its beauty and also because it is endangered.

But after discussions with state wildlife officials, their class took a vote and landed on the Pink-edged Sulphur, which is found throughout Maine.

“It is native to our state, and it is an important pollinator in the ecosystem, plus its caterpillar eats our Maine state fruit, the blueberry,” Tate and Oscar said during a public hearing in front of a legislative panel. “It might not be the largest or most popular butterfly, but it has the most connections to Maine.”

Tate said this week that giving testimony at the State House was a challenge.

“I was kind of nervous the day we had to testify in front of the State and Local Government Committee, but now if feels kind of normal,” he said via email. “I was surprised that everyone voted ‘yes’ in the committee. I thought it would get at least one ‘no’ vote.”

Following the committee vote, the bill flew through the House and Senate and on May 15, it was signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills.

Oscar said he was surprised how many people supported them in their efforts to name a state butterfly.

“It’s really cool to have picked the state butterfly but I definitely couldn’t have done it without all the people that helped us!” he wrote.

For teacher Laura Seaver, the experience transformed a typical lesson into lived experience that’s “so much more real and tangible to them.”

“I think the most important lesson they could have learned here is not so much about butterflies and state animals, but about how one person, even at age 10, can have an impact on our society,” she wrote. “Most adults probably haven’t tried writing to their representatives but now a whole class full of fifth grade students understands that it starts with having a good idea and finding the right person to share it with.”