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North Dakota state symbols

North Dakota has 26 official state symbols, most of them in Chapter 54-02 of the Century Code. The oldest are the seal and motto of 1889 and the wild prairie rose of 1907; the newest, all from 2025, are Knife River flint, rhubarb and a state waltz. Schoolchildren proposed several, including the chokecherry, the ladybug and curling.

26 official designations · every law checked October 23, 2026

Rose, elm and meadowlark

North Dakota’s first symbol after the seal was the wild prairie rose, adopted in 1907, whose pink and green the University of North Dakota’s first graduating class had already chosen as school colors in 1889. In 1947 the Legislature named the American elm, once common statewide and able to survive extreme cold, as state tree, the western meadowlark as state bird and the “North Dakota Hymn” as state song. Dutch elm disease has since killed many of the state’s elms.

From the prairie

Several symbols come from the land. Teredo petrified wood, adopted in 1967, is about 60 million years old and riddled with holes bored by shipworm clams before the wood turned to stone. The northern pike became the state fish in 1969 by resolution, so it does not appear in the Century Code. Western wheatgrass, a tough native grass found in every county, became the state grass in 1977, and milk, honoring the dairy industry, the state beverage in 1983. The Nokota horse, believed to descend from Sitting Bull’s herds, was named the honorary state equine in 1993.

Chosen by students

Children have proposed many of North Dakota’s recent symbols. Elementary students in Williston suggested the chokecherry, which Governor John Hoeven signed into law as state fruit in 2007. Students in Kenmare came up with the convergent lady beetle, the state insect since 2011. A Bismarck sixth grader proposed curling and attended the signing when Governor Doug Burgum made it the state sport in 2023. In 2025 a Bismarck family of homeschooled children persuaded lawmakers to name rhubarb the state vegetable, arguing that it had sustained North Dakotans through the Depression and the Dust Bowl.

Music and dance

North Dakota has an official march, James D. Ployhar’s “Flickertail March,” first designated in 1975 under the title “Spirit of the Land,” and an official American folk dance, the square dance, since 1995. In 2025 Chuck Suchy’s “Dancing Dakota” became the state waltz, after Suchy performed it for a House committee, and in the same session Knife River flint became the state rock.

Emblems and institutions

The state coat of arms, adopted in 1957, is an arrowhead-shaped gold and green shield bearing the words “Strength From the Soil” and three stars for the three branches of government; it also appears on the governor’s flag. English became the official language in 1987. Two museums hold official titles: the North Dakota Museum of Art in Grand Forks, founded in 1972 as the University of North Dakota’s art galleries, and the Mandan Railroad Museum, whose designation law bars state funding.

2 1880s 1 1900s 1 1920s 3 1940s 2 2 1960s 2 2 1980s 2 1 2000s 2 4 2020s
Official symbols adopted per decade. The busiest decade was the 2020s, with four.

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

Places and institutions

Questions about North Dakota's symbols

What is the North Dakota state bird?
The western meadowlark, adopted in 1947. Five other states share it.
What is the North Dakota state flower?
The wild prairie rose, adopted in 1907. The law covers two native species, Rosa blanda and Rosa arkansana.
What is the North Dakota state fossil?
Teredo petrified wood, about 60 million years old, riddled with holes bored by shipworm clams before the wood turned to stone.
What is the official sport of North Dakota?
Curling, adopted in 2023 after a Bismarck sixth grader proposed it.
What is the Nokota horse?
A breed believed to descend from Sitting Bull's herds. North Dakota named it the "honorary equine" in 1993 for its role in state history.
Photo credits (6)

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