Welcome to the Magnolia State! In fact, the magnolia serves as Mississippi’s state flower and tree both. For good measure, a magnolia blossom is depicted on the new state flag. (Continued below)
| Nicknames & Slogans | |||
| Nicknames | The Magnolia State, Bayou State, Mud-cat State | ||
| Symbols of State | |||
| Motto | Virtute et Armis | 1894 | > |
| Song | Go, Mississippi | 1962 | > |
| EcoSymbols | |||
| Flower | magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | 1952 | > |
| Wildflower | Coreopsis | 1991 | > |
| Tree | magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) | 1938 | > |
| Bird | mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) | 1944 | > |
| Waterfowl | wood duck (Aix sponsa) | 1974 | > |
| Land Mammal | white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) | 1974 | > |
| Land Mammal | red fox (Vulpes vulpes) | 1997 | > |
| Water Mammal | bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) | 1974 | > |
| Reptile | American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) | 2005 | > |
| Fish | largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) | 1974 | > |
| Insect | honeybee (Apis mellifera)  |
1980 | > |
| Butterfly | spicebush swallowtail (Battus philenor) | 1991 | > |
| Shell | oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica) | 1974 | > |
| Gemstone | Mississippi opal | 2023 | > |
| Stone | petrified wood (Plantae) | 1976 | > |
| Fossil † | prehistoric whales Basilosaurus cetoides and Zygorhiza kochii | 1981 | > |
| Soil | Natchez Silt Loam | 2003 | > |
| Cultural Symbols | |||
| Toy | Teddy Bear | 2002 | > |
| Natural Science Museum | The Mississippi Game and Fish Commission’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science | 1974 | > |
| Wildlife Heritage Museum | Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum in Leland | 2016 | > |
| Historical Industrial Museum | The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, Inc, | 2004 | > |
| Automobile Museum | The Tupelo Auto Museum, Inc, | 2003 | > |
| Beverage | milk |
1984 | > |
| American Folk Dance | square dance |
1995 | > |
| Grand Opera House | Grand Opera House of Meridian | 1993 | > |
| Flag Salute | 1972 | > | |
| Language | English |
1987 | > |
Unfortunately, Mississippians don’t know how to design flags. Why in the world did they put the motto “In God We Trust” on their flag?
From the mockingbird to the largemouth bass, most of Mississippi’s state symbols are shared with other states. Its most unique symbols may be the prehistoric whales that were designated the state fossil.
One of Mississippi’s most familiar symbols is the Teddy bear. Surprisingly, it may be a little more conspiratorial than you think.
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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