The World's Fair of 1893 was held in Chicago. In preparation for the event, there was something called the National Garland of Flowers that was created for the sake of representing every US state at the World's Fair. The garland was comprised of flowers for each of the fifty states, and at the time, the flowers were not necessarily considered state symbols. Instead, the National Garland of Flowers inspired the concept of state symbols. From there, state symbols such as trees, birds, songs, and, of course, flowers were born.
Believe it or not, even though state symbols seem mighty official, there is no actual process for selecting the state symbols in America. Take the official state dog of the state of Delaware as a perfect example.
On August 3 of 2016, the official state dog of Delaware was announced, making the golden retriever the state dog of Delaware. The way the state dog was selected was very simple and quite humorous. A group of fourth graders sent in letters to Delaware legislators, pleading with them to make the golden retriever the state's official dog.
They had been learning about state symbols in school at the time, and one of their class assignments was to mail letters to the government regarding the state symbols. The lawmakers received the letters and put their plea to a vote, which ultimately resulted in the golden retriever becoming the official state dog of Delaware.
Another example of the casual ways by which state symbols are chosen has to do with the official state dinosaur of the state of Arkansas. In 2013, a boy by the name of Mason Cypress Oury of Fayetteville County decided to embark on a campaign. He wanted the state dinosaur of Arkansas to officially be named as the Arkansaurus fridayi. Using social media, Oury was able to spread the word and the governor of Arkansas, Governor Hutchinson, signed a document that officially made the Arkansaurus fridayi the state dinosaur in 2017.
Without further ado, here are the state symbols of the United States of America. Below, you will find the state songs, birds, trees, and flowers of all fifty US states.
State | State Song | State Bird | State Tree | State Flower |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama | Yellowhammer | Southern longleaf pine tree | Camellias |
| Alaska | Alaska’s Flag | Willow ptarmigan | Sitka spruce tree | Forget-me-nots |
| Arizona | Arizona | Cactus wren | Palo verde | Flower of saguaro cacti |
| Arkansas | Arkansas | Mockingbird | Pine tree | Apple blossoms |
| California | I Love You, California | California valley quail | California redwoods | Golden poppies |
| Colorado | Where the Columbines Grow | Lark bunting | Colorado blue spruce trees | Rocky Mountain columbines |
| Connecticut | Yankee Doodle | American robins | White oak trees | Mountain laurels |
| Delaware | Our Delaware | Blue hen chicken | American holly trees | Peach blossoms |
| Florida | Suwannee River | Mockingbird | Sabal palm trees | Orange blossoms |
| Georgia | Georgia on my Mind | Brown thrashers | Live oak trees | Cherokee roses |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Ponoi | Hawaiian geese | Candlenut trees | Yellow hibiscuses |
| Idaho | Here We Have Idaho | Mountain bluebirds | White pine trees | Syringas |
| Illinois | Illinois | Cardinals | White oak trees | Violets |
| Indiana | On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away | Cardinals | Tulip trees | Peonies |
| Iowa | Song of Iowa | Eastern goldfinches | Bur oak trees | Wild roses |
| Kansas | Home on the Range | Western meadowlarks | Cottonwood trees | Sunflowers |
| Kentucky | My Old Kentucky Home | Kentucky cardinals | Tulip poplars | Goldenrods |
| Louisiana | You Are My Sunshine | Eastern brown pelicans | Bald cypress trees | Magnolias |
| Maine | State of Maine Song | Chickadees | White pine trees | White pine cones and tassels |
| Maryland | Maryland! My Maryland! | Baltimore orioles | White oak trees | Black-eyed susans |
| Massachusetts | All Hail to Massachusetts | Chickadees | American elm trees | Mayflowers |
| Michigan | My Michigan | Robins | White pine trees | Apple blossoms |
| Minnesota | Hail Minnesota | Common loons | Red pine trees | Lady slippers |
| Mississippi | Go, Mississippi | Mockingbirds | Magnolia trees | Evergreen magnolias |
| Missouri | Missouri Waltz | Bluebirds | Flowering dogwood trees | Hawthorns |
| Montana | Montana | Western meadowlark | Ponderosa pine trees | Bitterroots |
| Nebraska | Beautiful Nebraska | Western meadowlarks | Cottonwood trees | Goldenrods |
| Nevada | Home Means Nevada | Mountain bluebirds | Single-leaf pinyon trees | Sagebrush |
| New Hampshire | Old New Hampshire | Purple finches | White birch trees | Purple lilacs |
| New Jersey | No current state song | Eastern goldfinches | Red oak trees | Purple violets |
| New Mexico | O Fair New Mexico | Roadrunners | Pinons | Yuccas |
| New York | I Love New York | Bluebirds | Sugar maple trees | Roses |
| North Carolina | The Old North State | Cardinals | Pine trees | Dogwoods |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Hymn | Western meadowlarks | American elm trees | Wild prairie roses |
| Ohio | Beautiful Ohio | Cardinals | Buckeye trees | Scarlet carnations |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma | Scissor-tailed flycatcher | Redbuds | Mistletoes |
| Oregon | Oregon, My Oregon | Western meadowlarks | Douglas fir trees | Oregon grapes |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania | Ruffled grouses | Hemlock trees | Mountain laurels |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island, It’s For Me | Rhode Island red hens | Red maple trees | Violets |
| South Carolina | Carolina | Carolina wrens | Palmetto trees | Carolina yellow jessamines |
| South Dakota | Hail! South Dakota! | Ring-necked pheasants | Black hills spruce trees | American pasqueflowers |
| Tennessee | Rocky Top | Mockingbirds | Tulip poplar trees | Irises |
| Texas | Texas, Our Texas | Mockingbirds | Pecan trees | Bluebonnets |
| Utah | Utah, We Love Thee | California gulls | Blue spruce trees | Sego lillies |
| Vermont | These Green Mountains | Hermit thrushes | Sugar maple trees | Red clovers |
| Virginia | Carry Me Back to Old Virginny | Cardinals | Dogwood trees | American dogwoods |
| Washington | Washington, My Home | Willow goldfinches | Western hemlock trees | Coast rhododendrons |
| West Virginia | Take Me Home Country Roads | Cardinals | Sugar maple trees | Rhododendrons |
| Wisconsin | On Wisconsin | Robins | Sugar maple trees | Wood violets |
| Wyoming | Wyoming | Western meadowlarks | Cottonwood trees | Indian paintbrushes |