Kansas state symbols
Kansas’s state bird is the western meadowlark, its state flower the wild native sunflower, its state tree the cottonwood and its motto “Ad astra per aspera”.
How to read it
The sunflower came first among the living symbols, in a law of 1903 whose preamble calls it the flower that gave Kansas the name “the sunflower state”. The western meadowlark and the cottonwood followed in two laws of 1937. The bird law says the meadowlark was chosen by a vote of Kansas schoolchildren, and the Kansas Historical Society puts the number who voted at over 121,000. The motto is older than all three: “Ad astra per aspera” runs around the top of the Great Seal described in the joint resolution of 25 May 1861, above 34 stars for the 34th state.
Also searched as: kansas state bird, kansas state flower, kansas state motto, kansas state symbols, kansas state tree.
Kansas’s symbols and when each was adopted
| Symbol | Official choice | Adopted | Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) | 1937 | K.S.A. 73-901 |
| Flower | Wild native sunflower (helianthus) | 1903 | K.S.A. 73-1801 |
| Tree | Cottonwood | 1937 | K.S.A. 73-1001 |
| Motto | “Ad astra per aspera” | 1861 | On the Great Seal, K.S.A. 75-201 |
| Animal | American buffalo (bison) | 1955 | K.S.A. 73-1401 |
The sunflower on the flag
The state flag of 1927 has the state seal and a sunflower over a gold and light blue bar, and the Kansas Historical Society notes the flower is on the Kansas quarter too. The flower law names the plant only as “the helianthus or wild native sunflower”. What the sunflower means in the language of flowers is on oldsymbols.com.
The cottonwood
The law names the tree simply as “the cottonwood”. The Historical Society says it is also called the eastern cottonwood and grows in every county in Kansas.
Read next
- Next in US state symbolsMichigan state symbolsMichigan’s state bird is the American robin, its state flower the apple blossom, its state tree the white pine and its motto “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice” (“If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you”).
- The same shape in African flagsFlag of LesothoLesotho’s flag has blue, white and green horizontal stripes, the white widest, with a black Basotho hat (mokorotlo) in the centre. At its unveiling in 2006 the Mail & Guardian reported the blue as standing for rain, the white for peace and the green for prosperity, and Deputy Prime Minister Lesao Lehohla said the flag showed “a nation at peace with itself and at peace with its neighbours”.
More US state symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with squares and rectangles.
Sources
- K.S.A. 73-901 (state bird), Kansas Statutes Annotated § 73-901, Designation (state bird), Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, § 73-901 and history
- K.S.A. 73-1801 (state flower), Kansas Statutes Annotated § 73-1801, State flower and floral emblem, Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, § 73-1801: preamble and enacting clause; history
- K.S.A. 73-1001 (state tree), Kansas Statutes Annotated § 73-1001, Designation (state tree), Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, § 73-1001 and history
- K.S.A. 75-201 (great seal), Kansas Statutes Annotated § 75-201, Great seal of the state of Kansas, Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, § 75-201
- K.S.A. 73-1401 (state animal), Kansas Statutes Annotated § 73-1401, American buffalo, Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, § 73-1401 and history
- Kansas State Symbols (Kansapedia), Kansas State Symbols, Kansapedia, Kansas Historical Society, 1861 Great Seal; 1903 State Flower; 1927 State Flag; 1937 State Bird; 1937 State Tree; 1955 State Animal
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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