Welcome to the Pelican State! Quick, what’s your favorite Louisiana symbol? The crawfish (the official crustacean)? Gumbo (the official state cuisine)? How about the diatonic accordion? (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Pelican State, Bayou State, Child of the Mississippi | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | Union, Justice and Confidence | > | |
| Song | Song of Lousiana | 1932 | > |
| Song | Give Me Lousiana | 1970 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | 1900 | > |
| Wildflower | Louisiana iris (Iris giganticaerulea) | 1990 | > |
| Tree | bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) | 1963 | > |
| Fruit Tree | Mayhaw fruit tree (Crataegus) | 2014 | > |
| Fruit | strawberry (Fragaria) | 2011 | > |
| Vegetable | sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) | 2003 | > |
| Vegetable Plant | Creole tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) | 2003 | > |
| Bird | brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) | 1966 | > |
| Mammal | Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus) | 1992 | > |
| Dog | Catahoula Leopard Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) | 1979 | > |
| Reptile | American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) | 1983 | > |
| Amphibian | green tree frog (Hyla cinerea) | 1993 | > |
| Freshwater Fish | white perch (crappie) (Pomoxis annularis) | 1993 | > |
| Saltwater Fish | spotted weakfish (Cynoscion nebulosus) | 2001 | > |
| Insect | honeybee (Apis mellifera)  |
1977 | > |
| Crustacean | crawfish (Cambaridae) | 1983 | > |
| Mineral | agate | 1976 | > |
| Cabachon Gemstone | Crassostrea virginica | 2011 | > |
| Fossil † | petrified palmwood (Arecaceae) | 1976 | > |
| Soil | Ruston (unofficial)  |
> | |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Symbol | fleur-de-lis | 2008 | > |
| Colors | blue, white and gold | 1972 | > |
| Tartan | 2001 | > | |
| Boat | Pirogue | 2012 | > |
| Cuisine | gumbo | 2004 | > |
| Jellies | Mayhaw Jelly and Louisiana Sugar Cane Jelly | 2003 | > |
| Doughnut | beignet (ben yay) | 1986 | > |
| Meat Pie | Natchitoches Meat Pie | 2003 | > |
| North Louisiana Meal | ** | 2015 | > |
| Drink | milk |
1983 | > |
| Cocktail of New Orleans | Sazerac | 2008 | > |
Hog Dog Trial  |
Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trials | 2003 | > |
| State Museum of Natural History | Louisiana State University Museum of Natural History | 1999 | > |
| Cajun / Creole Heritage | Hoop nets, castnets, and shrimp trawls | 1992 | > |
| Christmas in the Country | Elizabeth, Louisiana | 1990 | > |
| Gateway to the Atchafalaya Basin | St. Mary Parish | 2004 | > |
| American Folk Dance | square dance |
1999 | > |
| Song | You Are My Sunshine | 1977 | > |
| March Song | Louisiana My Home Sweet Home | 1952 | > |
| Environmental Song | The Gifts of Earth | 1990 | > |
| Hurricane Katrina Song | Come Back to Louisiana | 2006 | > |
| Musical Instrument | diatonic accordion | 1990 | > |
| Cultural Poem | I Am Louisiana | 2006 | > |
| Senate Poem | Leadership | 1999 | > |
| Judicial Poem | America, We the People | 1995 | > |
| Painting | Louisiana | 1995 | > |
| Language | English |
1807 | > |
| Pledge of Allegiance | 1981 | > | |
The Catahoula Leopard Dog is one of Louisiana’s more distinctive symbols. However, the baldcypress (the state tree)—a truly spectacular marvel of Nature—may be even more distinctive. this ancient species could serve as the state fossil as well, as could Louisiana’s state reptile, the alligator.
However, the star of the show is probably the pelican, source of the nickname Pelican State. The state bird is the brown pelican, though white pelicans are depicted on Louisiana’s state flag.
Louisiana has plenty of other symbols to explore, from the Creole tomato to the white perch, or crappie. I’m particularly enamored of Louisiana’s official symbol, the fleur de lis, or stylized lily. In fact, I incorporated it into my proposal for a new Louisiana state flag.
If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.
You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)
After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.
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