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Iowa state symbols

Iowa has only nine official state symbols, one of the shortest lists of any state. The oldest is the Great Seal, adopted in 1847; the newest is the geode, the state rock since 1967. Most of them were adopted by resolutions of the General Assembly rather than written into the Iowa Code.

9 official designations · every law checked October 23, 2026

Few symbols, mostly by resolution

Iowa has been sparing with its symbols. Only the Great Seal and the state flag are written into the Iowa Code, in chapters 1A and 1B. Everything else was adopted by resolution of the General Assembly, and the list has barely grown since the 1960s. Bills to name a state insect, the tiger swallowtail, in 1999, and a state poem in 2001 were filed but never adopted.

The wild rose and the battleship

Iowa’s first symbol after the seal was the wild rose, adopted on May 7, 1897. The reason was a ship. That year Iowa presented a silver service for use aboard the new battleship USS Iowa, and the wild rose was among its decorations. The legislature made it the state flower the same year. The resolution named no particular species, but the wild prairie rose, a low pink rose of Iowa’s prairies and roadsides, is the one most often cited.

A bird that stays for winter

The eastern goldfinch, also called the American goldfinch or wild canary, became the state bird by a concurrent resolution adopted on March 22, 1933. Lawmakers chose it because it is common in Iowa and many stay through the winter, when the bright yellow males turn a plain olive-brown.

The oak

The oak became the state tree by a resolution of March 13, 1961. Legislators did not choose a single species. They praised the oak because it grows widely across Iowa and gives shelter, food and nesting cover to many animals and birds. Iowa’s native oaks include the bur, white, swamp white, chinkapin, red, black, northern pin, pin and shingle oaks, and their acorns feed wild turkeys, quail, wood ducks, squirrels, blue jays and woodpeckers.

The geode

In 1967 the legislature named the geode the state rock. Geodes are round rocks that look ordinary on the outside but are hollow inside and lined with crystals, usually quartz. Supporters pointed out that they are rare and attractive and that Iowa is known worldwide for the number found there, especially in the southeastern corner of the state. They also hoped the choice would promote tourism. Limestone and fossil coral were considered too. The resolution told the state history curator to collect and display a fair sampling of Iowa geodes, and told the editor of the Official Register to print a picture of one. One senator tried to make it the state gem instead, but it was adopted as the state rock.

Songs

Iowa has two official songs. “The Song of Iowa,” written by S. H. M. Byers to the German melody “O Tannenbaum,” was recognized by the General Assembly in 1911. Byers got the idea while he was a prisoner in the Confederacy’s Libby Prison during the Civil War, when he heard Confederate bands playing the same tune as “Maryland, My Maryland.” The “Iowa Flag Song” was added in 1949.

The main symbols

The flag, the goldfinch and the wild rose each have their own page. The Great Seal is kept by the governor and may not be used without the governor’s permission, so it is described here but not shown.

2 1840s 1860s 1880s 1 1900s 1 1 1920s 1 1 1940s 2 1960s
Official symbols adopted per decade. The busiest decades were the 1840s and 1960s, with two each.

Flag, seal, song, motto and nickname

Animals

Plants and fungi

Earth and sky

Songs, words and language

Questions about Iowa's symbols

What is the Iowa state rock?
The geode, adopted in 1967. Iowa is known worldwide for the number of geodes found there.
Does Iowa have a state animal?
No. Iowa's only official animal is the eastern goldfinch, the state bird. Proposals for other symbols, such as a state insect, have not been adopted.
What is the Iowa state song?
"The Song of Iowa," by S. H. M. Byers, adopted by concurrent resolution in 1911. Iowa also has an official "Iowa Flag Song," adopted in 1949.
Why does Iowa have so few symbols?
Most Iowa symbols were adopted by resolution, and the legislature has added very few since the 1960s. Bills for a state insect and a state poem have been filed but not adopted.
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