Illinois State Symbols

State use symbols to represent the ideas and objects that are important to the heritage and culture of the people living in each state.  Symbols are chosen through a process involving citizens and the government.  A person or group does research to describe each symbol and its importance to our state.  A bill is created and proposed to the state’s General Assembly, who officially approves it and adds it to state records.

States have a variety of symbols.  Massachusetts has the most with 44, and Iowa has the least with only eight.  Illinois has 30 symbols, and over the next two blogs, we will explore the 17 that honor the wonders of nature across our state.  Many of the Illinois symbols are used by other states signifying their importance across the nation, but at least one is unique to Illinois. 

Illinois’, known for its tallgrass habitat, is nicknamed is The Prairie State.  The land is able to support a great variety of plants in large part due to the richness of the soil.  Drummer Silty Clay Loam, first identified in Ford County in 1929, was declared the state soil in 2001.  Topsoil across the state is about 16″ deep mainly due to the action of prairie plant roots in breaking down rock and mineral into soil. 

Rocks and minerals found in our soils are also important.  The State Rock, Dolostone, composed of calcium, magnesium, carbon, and oxygen, is found throughout the state.  It is mined in northwest Illinois and used in road construction, as erosion barriers on shoreline slopes, and to provide nutrients in fertilizers.  The State Mineral is Fluorite, a clear and soft substance that easily melts.  It is used in making aluminum, iron , and metal alloys.

The State Fossil is the Tully Monster, Tullimonstrum gregarium, first discovered in 1958 by Francis Tully.  It had a sleek, tapered body about 12″ long with large fins, and swam in the tropical oceans that covered Illinois during the Pennsylvanian period about 300 million years ago.  No other fossils have ever been found outside of Illinois.

Agriculture is important to Illinois, generating more than 19 billion dollars annually.  Corn is the State Grain, and accounts for more than half of that total.  The State Fruit, Gold-rush Apple, was developed in University of Illinois laboratories to grow in habitats across the state.  Apple trees generally bear fruit in 5-8 years, but gold-rush apple trees produce fruit after only three years.  The fruit becomes ripe very late in autumn, providing a retail source of fresh, crisp fruit long after other fruit sources are finished for the season.

Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, by DonArnold; White oak, Quercus alba, by melystu, May 2012; Violets, viola spp. By Samantha Forsburg, May 2009; Big bluestem, Andropogon gerardii by Matt Lavin, Sep 2009

Grasses, flowers, and trees from prairie and woodland habitats are also important.  The State Prairie Grass is Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardii, growing to over 8′ tall with roots extending 5′ to 8′ underground.  Nicknamed turkey’s foot for the purplish flowers that appear in groups of three, the grass turns a brilliant bronze in the fall.  The State Flower is the Violet, Viola spp., blooming in spring in a variety of colors and habitats.  Violets are high in vitamin A and have more vitamin C per ounce than oranges, providing food for many wildlife species including small mammals and birds.  The State Wildflower is Milkweed, Asclepias spp., with 24 species native to Illinois.  They are a vital source of nectar to feed the pollinators in summer and fall across the state.  Our State Tree, the White Oak, Quercus alba, grows best on upland slopes and lives an average of 350-400 years.  Settlers fed white-oak acorns to pigs and used its wood to build homes.  Oaks support deer, wild turkey, songbirds, insects, squirrels and a host of other wildlife.

The State Microbe is Penicillium rubens, a mold fungus often found indoors in areas of high humidity.  It exhibits a velvety blue or blue-green surface.  This symbol was approved on May 31, 2021 to honor the residents of Peoria and the research scientists at the National Center of Agricultural Utilization who worked together on a procedure to mass produce penicillin.  Fleming’s strain was discovered in the 1940s to be effective in treating infection in open wounds, and was used extensively to treat Allied soldiers wounded during the Normandy invasion on June 6, 1944.  Penicillin has become the most widely used drug in the world.

In part two of our blog on state symbols, we will take a look at the many animals that are honored throughout Illinois.