List of Illinois state symbols

Location of the state of Illinois in the United States of America

The state of Illinois has adopted numerous symbols over time.

Insignia

Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia

Type	Symbol	Adopted	Image	Ref.
Flag	Flag of Illinois	1969
Centennial flag	Centennial Flag of Illinois	1918
Sesquicentennial flag	Sesquicentennial Flag of Illinois	1968
Seal	Seal of Illinois	1867

Species, geology, and culture

Type	Symbol	Image	Law [notes 1] [1]	Adopted
Amphibian	Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)		5 ILCS 460/85	2005 [2]
Animal	White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)		5 ILCS 460/45	1982 [2]
Artifact	Pirogue		5 ILCS 460/63	2017 [1]
Bird	Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)		5 ILCS 460/10	1929 [2]
Exercise	Cycling		5 ILCS 460/67	2018 [1]
Fish	Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)		5 ILCS 460/50	1986 [2]
Flower	Violet (Viola spp.)		5 ILCS 460/40	1908 [2] [3]
Folk dance	Square dance		5 ILCS 460/65	1990 [4]
Fruit	Gold Rush Apple (Malus × domestica)		5 ILCS 460/57	2007 [1]
Fossil	Tully monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium)		5 ILCS 460/60	1989 [3]
Grain	Corn		5 ILCS 460/56.5	2018 [5]
Horse	Thoroughbred horse (Equus caballus)		5 ILCS 460/90	2006 [1]
Insect	Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)		5 ILCS 460/15	1975 [2]
Mineral	Fluorite (Calcium fluoride)		5 ILCS 460/25	1965 [3]
Motto	"State sovereignty, national union"		5 ILCS 460/5 [notes 2]	1818 [6]
Nickname	"The Prairie State"		Traditional [3]
Pet	Shelter dogs and shelter cats		5 ILCS 460/47	2017 [1]
Pie	Pumpkin pie		5 ILCS 460/100	2016 [1]
Prairie grass	Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)		5 ILCS 460/55	1989 [3]
Reptile	Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta)		5 ILCS 460/90	2006 [1]
Rock	Dolostone			2022 [7]
Slogan	"Land of Lincoln"		5 ILCS 460/30	1955 [3]
Snackfood	Popcorn		5 ILCS 460/80	2004 [1]
Snake	Eastern milk snake		5 ILCS 460/87	2022 [8]
Soil	Drummer silty clay loam (mesic Typic Endoaquoll)		5 ILCS 460/75	2001 [1]
Song	"Illinois"		5 ILCS 460/35	1925 [9]
Tartan	Illinois Saint Andrew Society Tartan		5 ILCS 460/95	2012 [1]
Theatre	The Great American People Show		5 ILCS 460/70	1995 [1]
Tree	White oak (Quercus alba) (replaced "Native Oak" adopted in 1908)		5 ILCS 460/40	1973 [2] [3]
Vegetable	Sweet corn		5 ILCS 460/56	2015 [1]
Wildflower	Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)		5 ILCS 460/43	2017 [1]
Mushroom	Giant Puffball (Calvatia Gigantea)			2024

See also

• Illinois portal

• Index of Illinois-related articles

Notes

1. Unless otherwise indicated, entries are defined in the Illinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 5 (General Provisions), State Designations Act (5 ILCS 460/)
2. The motto is defined in the original legislation defining the state seal. The legislation has been renewed.

References

1. State Designations Act, Illinois General Assembly, retrieved May 20, 2019
2. "State Symbols". Illinois.gov. Archived from the original on February 3, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
3. Illinois State Symbols, Department of Natural Resources, retrieved May 20, 2019
4. "Illinois official Dance". State Symbols. Illinois State museum.
5. Janssen, Kim (December 28, 2017). "Exciting days for corn lovers as corn to become official state grain of Illinois". Chicago Tribune .
6. Seal of the State of Illinois, Illinois.gov, retrieved May 20, 2019
7. "Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of Public Act 102-1044". www.ilga.gov. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
8. Sellem, Luke (June 16, 2022). "Gov. Pritzker designates official snake of Illinois with help from Carterville student". KFVS-TV . Retrieved October 11, 2022.
9. Krohe, James Jr. (July 7, 2016). "Everybody join in: Illinois needs a new state song for a new era". Illinois Times . Retrieved May 20, 2019.