Kentucky state symbols
Kentucky’s state bird is the cardinal, its state flower the goldenrod, its state tree the tulip poplar and its motto “United we stand, divided we fall”. Since 2002 it has also had an official Latin motto, “Deo gratiam habeamus” (“Let us be grateful to God”).
How to read it
The cardinal and the goldenrod were both adopted in 1926, by the Kentucky Department of Tourism’s list of state symbols. The statutes as printed today carry the date 1 October 1942 instead, because that is when they were recodified into the Kentucky Revised Statutes. The bird law names the bird as “the native redbird, commonly known as the Kentucky cardinal”. The tree section was first enacted in 1976 and amended in 1994, the year the tourism list gives for the tulip poplar. The motto is the wording the seal law sets around the two friends embracing on the state seal.
Also searched as: kentucky state bird, kentucky state flower, kentucky state motto, kentucky state symbols, kentucky state tree.
Kentucky’s symbols and when each was adopted
| Symbol | Official choice | Adopted | Law |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) | 1926 | KRS 2.080 |
| Flower | Goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) | 1926 | KRS 2.090 |
| Tree | Tulip poplar | 1994 | KRS 2.095 |
| Motto | “United We Stand, Divided We Fall” | 1942 | On the state seal, KRS 2.020 |
| Latin motto | “Deo gratiam habeamus” | 2002 | KRS 2.105 |
| Horse | Thoroughbred | 1996 | KRS 2.087 |
Two mottoes
“United We Stand, Divided We Fall” is the motto on the seal, around the two figures embracing. The Latin motto is a separate designation made in 2002, and the tourism list translates it as “Let us be grateful to God”. The 1942 date the tourism list gives for the English motto is the year the present seal law took effect.
The same bird as Illinois and Indiana
The cardinal is also the state bird of Illinois and Indiana. What the cardinal means in folklore is on oldsymbols.com.
Read next
- Next in US state symbolsLouisiana state symbolsLouisiana’s state bird is the brown pelican, its state flower the magnolia, its state tree the bald cypress and its motto “Union, Justice and Confidence”.
- The same shape in Tire sidewall markingsM+S (mud and snow)M+S means the tread has the slots and open space that the US tire industry’s definition of a mud and snow tire sets out. It is a description of the tread, not the result of a snow test.
More US state symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with curves and waves.
Sources
- KRS 2.080 (state bird), Kentucky Revised Statutes 2.080, State bird, Kentucky General Assembly (Legislative Research Commission), KRS 2.080 and history
- KRS 2.090 (state flower), Kentucky Revised Statutes 2.090, State flower, Kentucky General Assembly (Legislative Research Commission), KRS 2.090
- KRS 2.095 (state tree), Kentucky Revised Statutes 2.095, State tree, Kentucky General Assembly (Legislative Research Commission), KRS 2.095 and history
- KRS 2.020 (state seal), Kentucky Revised Statutes 2.020, State seal, Kentucky General Assembly (Legislative Research Commission), KRS 2.020
- KRS 2.105 (Latin motto), Kentucky Revised Statutes 2.105, Official Latin motto, Kentucky General Assembly (Legislative Research Commission), KRS 2.105 and history
- KRS 2.087 (state horse), Kentucky Revised Statutes 2.087, State horse, Kentucky General Assembly (Legislative Research Commission), KRS 2.087
- Symbols & Traditions (Kentucky Tourism), Symbols & Traditions, kentuckytourism.com, 25 July 2023, Kentucky Department of Tourism, List of state symbols
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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