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Connecticut state symbols

Connecticut has 35 official state symbols. The oldest is the seal, whose design goes back to the Saybrook Colony seal of 1639; the newest are the spring peeper and Housatonic marble, which took effect on October 1, 2026. Connecticut names more people and offices than most states, including a state hero, a state heroine and a state composer.

35 official designations · every law checked October 23, 2026

Laurel, robin and oak

Connecticut’s first symbols came early. The mountain laurel, a native evergreen shrub with clusters of pink and white flowers, became the state flower in 1907. The American robin followed as the state bird in 1943, and the white oak as the state tree in 1947, in memory of the Charter Oak where the colony’s charter was hidden in 1687.

Whales, oysters and the sea

Connecticut’s coast and its maritime past run through its list. The sperm whale became the state animal in 1975, chosen both for Connecticut’s history and because it is endangered. In the 1800s Connecticut was second only to Massachusetts in American whaling, and sperm whales were the main quarry of ships from New London and Mystic. The eastern oyster became the state shellfish in 1989; in the 1890s Connecticut had the largest fleet of oyster steamers in the world. The American shad, which runs up the Connecticut River every spring, is the state fish.

Two ships are on the list. The USS Nautilus, built in Groton, was the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine and is now a museum there. The Amistad, a re-creation of the schooner whose African captives rebelled in 1839, is the state’s flagship and tall ship ambassador.

People and offices

Connecticut honors people as well as plants and animals. Nathan Hale, a Coventry native and Yale graduate who was hanged by the British as a spy in 1776, became the state hero in 1985. Prudence Crandall, who opened the first academy for African American girls in New England in Canterbury in 1833 and was tried twice under a law meant to close it, became the state heroine in 1995. Charles Ives, the Danbury-born composer who also ran an insurance agency and won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for his Third Symphony, is the state composer. The state also appoints a poet laureate and a state troubadour every three years.

Fossils and the first flight debate

Connecticut’s dinosaurs left footprints rather than bones. In 1966 about 2,000 large three-toed tracks, called Eubrontes, were uncovered on a single rock layer in Rocky Hill, and the site became Dinosaur State Park. Eubrontes became the state fossil in 1991, and in 2017 the state added Dilophosaurus as the state dinosaur; the animal that made the tracks appears to have been closely related to it.

The same 2017 law named Gustave Whitehead’s No. 21 the state’s pioneering aircraft. Whitehead claimed to have flown it near Bridgeport in August 1901, more than two years before the Wright brothers. Most aviation historians reject the claim, but Connecticut has embraced it. The state’s other aircraft, the F4U Corsair, is less controversial: the gull-winged fighter of World War II and Korea was built in large numbers in Stratford.

The newest symbols

Recent additions have come with stories. In 2024 Connecticut adopted the Siberian Husky as the state dog, after UConn’s mascot Jonathan “testified” before a legislative committee, and the lollipop as the state candy, honoring George Smith of New Haven, who is credited with inventing the modern lollipop in 1908. In 2026 a law proposed by fifth graders at Bethlehem Elementary School made the spring peeper, a tiny frog whose calls announce spring, the state amphibian, and seventh graders from Mansfield Middle School won the title of state rock for Housatonic marble.

Michaela Petit’s Four-O’Clocks, the children’s state flower adopted in 2015, honors an 11-year-old killed in the 2007 Cheshire home invasion; four-o’clocks she had planted with her father were among the few things saved from the family home.

The main symbols

The flag, the robin and the mountain laurel each have their own page. Connecticut’s seal and arms may be reproduced only with the approval of the Secretary of the State, so they are described here but not shown.

1 1780s 1810s 1840s 1870s 1 1 1900s 1 1930s 2 1 1960s 4 4 6 1990s 4 5 4 2020s
Official symbols adopted per decade. The busiest decade was the 1990s, with six.

Flag, seal, song, motto and nickname

Animals

Plants and fungi

Earth and sky

Food and drink

Songs, words and language

Culture and history

Government emblems

Questions about Connecticut's symbols

What is the Connecticut state animal?
The sperm whale, adopted in 1975 for its role in Connecticut's whaling history and because it is an endangered species.
What is the Connecticut state song?
"Yankee Doodle," adopted in 1978. Connecticut also has a second state song, "Beautiful Connecticut Waltz," and a state cantata, "Nutmeg."
Who are Connecticut's state hero and heroine?
The state hero is Nathan Hale, hanged by the British as a spy in 1776. The state heroine is Prudence Crandall, who opened an academy for Black girls in Canterbury in 1833.
What is the Connecticut state dog?
The Siberian Husky, adopted in 2024. The University of Connecticut's mascot, a husky named Jonathan, "testified" for the bill.
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