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Texas has a variety of official state symbols, which are established by law or by a resolution of the Texas Legislature. These symbols reflect aspects of Texas culture, history, and the natural environment.
Some of these designations are quirky and humorous, and not necessarily widely known even among Texans. Others are major identity markers, which are sources of state and local pride.
Texas State Tree
The Texas state tree is the pecan tree, which is native to Texas and northern Mexico. It grows both in the wild and in orchards where pecan nuts are cultivated.
Texas produces more pecans than any other state except Georgia and New Mexico.
Texans traditionally have used pecan nuts in pecan pie, German chocolate cake, in cobblers, cookies, and soups, as well as eating them raw or roasted.
Texas State Flower
The Texas state flower is the bluebonnet, which blooms in late March through mid to late April. “Bluebonnet” is the common name for a few species of lupines (Lupinus texensis, Lupinus subcarnosus, Lupinus havardii, etc.), all of which are recognized as the state flower.
Bluebonnets are found throughout large parts of Texas, but are most lush and plentiful in central and southeast Texas. They can be seen growing in prairies, valleys, parks, and along roadsides. Other common wildflowers include Indian Paintbrushes, Pink Evening Primroses, and Firewheels. These bloom alongside bluebonnets during the same season and beyond, creating lush springtime scenery throughout the Texas prairies.
Texas State Bird
The Texas state bird is the Northern mockingbird (Mimus Polyglottos), which resides in Texas year-round rather than migrating. Mockingbirds are so-called because they can mimic the songs of other birds, as well as other sounds.
Mockingbirds have gray and brown bodies with a lighter underbelly. They eat insects, berries, and seeds. Their habitat varies, but generally they prefer open areas with sparse vegetation, or open woodlands, rather than dense forests.
Mockingbirds are territorial. When the Texas Legislature adopted the mockingbird as the state bird in 1927, it called the bird “a fighter for protection of his home,” willing to sacrifice itself, if need be, “like any true Texan.”
However, the Northern mockingbird is not unique to Texas, and four other states have it as their state bird. This has prompted critics to call for a new state bird that is more unique to Texas. Possible candidates include the Roadrunner, the Grackle, the Crested Caracaras, and the Vulture.
Lone Star Flag
The Lone Star Flag serves as the official state flag of Texas. It has a single, prominent white star and uses the same red, white, and blue colors as the United States flag.
The flag dates to the 1830s, though it is unclear where exactly it first originated.
Texas State Motto
The state motto of Texas is “Friendship.” The motto comes from the Native American Caddo language. In Caddo, the word taysha meant “friend” or “ally.” It was adapted into Spanish as “Tejas” to describe the Caddo territory, before being Anglicized as “Texas.”
Texas State Mammal
In 1995, Texans couldn’t decide whether to make the Long Horn (Cattle) or the Armadillo the official state mammal. After a vote by elementary school children, the Legislature passed a resolution that proclaimed the Longhorn to be the “official Large State Mammal of Texas” and the armadillo “the official Small State Mammal of Texas.”
The state maintains an official Long Horn herd that grazes at several state parks and historical sites throughout the state.
Texas State Insect
The official Texas state insect, designated in 1995, is the monarch butterfly, which migrates from Mexico northward as far as Canada, then back again. These butterflies pass through Texas both in the fall and spring. They lay their eggs in Texas, using Texas milkweed as the primary host plant for their eggs, and as a food source for their caterpillars.
The brilliant colors of monarch butterflies (both the caterpillars and adults) serve as a warning to predators. Monarches ingest toxins from the milkweed plant, which makes the butterflies poisonous for birds and other predators to eat them.
The monarch is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do. Unlike other butterflies that can overwinter as larvae, monarchs cannot survive the cold winters of northern climates. For this reason, the monarchs travel south for the winter, leaving before it grows too cold. Aided by air currents, some fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach their winter home.
Texas State Sport
The official Texas state sport is rodeo, which consists of a variety of equestrian and livestock-related competitions. Traditional rodeo events include barrel racing, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer tripping, steer wrestling, team roping, and barrel racing.
“No event captures the unique spirit of the Lone Star State better than rodeo,” says the legislative resolution that made the designation official in 1997.
“From the earliest days of the sport, Texas played a key role in the development of the modern rodeo; the world’s first recorded rodeo was held in Pecos in 1883, and Fort Worth staged the first indoor rodeo in 1917.”
The resolution paid homage to the legendary African American cowboy Bill Pickett and female rodeo champion Barber Inez “Tad” Lucas, both Texans.
Texas State Play
Texas State Song
The state song of Texas is “Texas, Our Texas” by William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright. The song was selected by the Legislature after a statewide competition in 1929. (Several other popular songs were considered, including “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” and “Dixie,” both of which are now considered controversial).
The official state song is not widely known and it is not very commonly performed. More popular and well-known is “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon Us,” which is closely associated with the University of Texas at Austin, and has been called an “unofficial state song.”
State Seal of Texas
The Seal of Texas is a star of five points, encircled by olive and live oak branches, and the words, “The State of Texas.” The star has long been understood to be a symbol of Texas’ independent spirit and brief history as an independent nation, while oak is a traditional symbol of strength, and olive branches are a traditional symbol of peace.
The state seal was adopted in 1845 and likely modeled in part on the Mexican national seal, which was encircled by wreaths of olive and oak, or by the seal of the state of Coahuila y Tejas, which was similar.
The state seal is required by law to be affixed to certain official documents, such as official documents issued from the office of the secretary of state, and certain acts of the governor. Private use of the seal is regulated by law.
Official Dish of Texas
The official state dish is Texas chili, also called chili con carne. The dish is a spicy stew containing meat (usually beef), chili peppers, tomatoes, and sometimes beans. Texans disagree about whether ‘true’ Texas chili should contain beans.
Ben Z. Grant, the state representative who authored the resolution that made chili the official state dish, wrote later that chili advocates in the Texas House won only a “narrow victory over barbecue” when adopting the resolution.
Texas also has designated several official desserts and pastries: peach cobbler, pecan pie, sopaipilla, and strudel.
