Do You Know Iowa's Official State Symbols?

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Do you know Iowa's official state symbols?

Each state in America boasts its own culture, history, and natural beauty. To represent such diversity, people from these states have chosen their own set of symbols and customs. Specific flags, songs, mottos, flowers, and even fruits commemorate the uniqueness of individual states. Some of these symbols border on the bizarre: Texas, for example, has made the Dutch oven its official state cooking pot. Other symbols are more universal, like state birds.

Many people remember learning about their states' history back in elementary school. But can you still remember your state bird? How about your state flower? To test your state knowledge, Stacker compiled a list of symbols in Iowa.

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Clue: Iowa state fish

Clue: This fish will eat just about anything. Its young prefer deep water, and females lay eggs in crevices like hollow logs for males to watch over until the eggs hatch.

Answer: Iowa state fish

Answer: Channel catfish

Clue: Iowa state mammal

Iowa has no state mammal, but it could consider this one. What would be more distinctive as a state symbol than a black and white striped animal that defends itself with a terrible smell?

Answer: Iowa state mammal

- State mammal: None
- Proposed: Striped skunk

Clue: Iowa state song

S.H.M. Byers was inspired to write what would become the official Iowa state song after he was captured at the Battle of Lookout Mountain. During seven months in a Confederate prison, his captors tormented him by repeatedly playing "My Maryland," a decidedly Southern song. In an early battle rap of sorts, Byers vowed to write an antithetical Northern song set to the same tune.

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Answer: Iowa state song

- Answer: "The Song of Iowa"

Clue: Iowa state insect

Though Iowa has no official state insect, it is home to at least hundreds of different species of insects, many of whose pollination patterns aid agriculture across the state. Some species—notably, the black cutworm moth—have begun emerging earlier in the season than usual, and can damage crop yields.

Answer: Iowa state insect

- State insect: None

[Pictured: Des Moines, Iowa from space.]

Clue: Iowa state tree

Iowa’s state tree shares a name with a famous landmark in the state: the town where writer Laura Ingalls Wilder, known for her “Little House on the Prairie” series, lived from fall 1876 to summer 1877. Like Wilder, the state tree is associated with prairie living; this tree has thick, fire-resistant bark, a natural resistance to drought, and the ability to compete with prairie grasses, making groves of the tree preferred building sites for early Iowa settlers.

Answer: Iowa state tree

Answer: Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

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Clue: Iowa state bird

You can spot this bird from a mile away by its sunny plumage. Unless it happens to be molting, in which case it might take on a bizarrely patchy appearance.

Answer: Iowa state bird

Answer: Eastern goldfinch

Clue: Iowa state flower

Adopted in 1897, these flowers bloom throughout the summer and are found in various shades of pink with yellow stamens at the center. To the early European settlers in the area, this flower represented resilience and beauty. Even before, the indigenous people used the flower for medicinal and nutritional purposes, using the “fruit” to create eye drops and producing syrup to treat stomach problems.