New Jersey state symbols
New Jersey’s state bird is the eastern goldfinch (1935), its flower the violet (1971), its tree the red oak (1950), and its motto “Liberty and Prosperity”, which the state has not officially adopted.
How to read it
The New Jersey Statutes designate “The eastern goldfinch” as the state bird and “The violet (common meadow, V. sororia)” as the state flower, a law of 1971. The State House Tours office of the Legislature says the goldfinch was chosen in 1935. The red oak, Quercus rubra, was selected by Governor Alfred E. Driscoll and the State Assembly on June 13, 1950, the Department of Environmental Protection says; a later statute refers to “the red oak” as the State Tree. The honey bee became the state bug in 1974.
Also searched as: new jersey state bird, new jersey state flower, new jersey state motto, new jersey state symbols, new jersey state tree, official symbols of new jersey.
A motto by custom
“Liberty and Prosperity” is on the scroll of the state seal, which the statute describes with the figures “1776” below. NJ.gov, the state’s website, says the motto was not officially adopted and has gained acceptance as the unofficial motto because it is a feature of the seal, created by Pierre Eugène du Simitière in 1777. The nickname is unofficial too: NJ.gov credits Abraham Browning with calling New Jersey the Garden State on August 24, 1876.
The violet before 1971
State House Tours says New Jersey had considered the violet its state flower since 1913, but the Legislature made it official only in 1971. The violet is also the state flower of Rhode Island, where the statute names the same species, Viola sororia.
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The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- New Jersey Statutes § 52:9A-1, N.J.S.A. 52:9A-1, New Jersey Legislature, 52:9A-1. Eastern goldfinch designated as state bird
- New Jersey Statutes § 52:9A-2, N.J.S.A. 52:9A-2, New Jersey Legislature, 52:9A-2. Violet; designation as state flower; history note
- New Jersey Statutes § 52:9A-3, N.J.S.A. 52:9A-3, New Jersey Legislature, 52:9A-3. Honey bee; designation as state bug; history note
- New Jersey Statutes § 52:2-1, N.J.S.A. 52:2-1, New Jersey Legislature, 52:2-1. Description of great seal of state
- New Jersey Statutes § 13:1L-26, N.J.S.A. 13:1L-26, New Jersey Legislature, 13:1L-26 Findings, declarations relative to establishment of Forest Health Advisory Council
- State Symbols (New Jersey State House Tours), New Jersey Office of Legislative Services, NJ State House Tours, "State Symbols", New Jersey Office of Legislative Services (NJ State House Tours), State Flower; State Bird; State Tree; State Bug
- Symbols (State of New Jersey, NJ.gov), State of New Jersey, NJ.gov, "Symbols", State of New Jersey (NJ.gov), State Seal; State Bird; State Flower; State Tree
- NJ Facts FAQ (State of New Jersey, NJ.gov), State of New Jersey, NJ.gov, FAQs: "Facts", State of New Jersey (NJ.gov), What is the NJ state motto?; nickname
- Northern Red Oak - New Jersey State Tree (NJDEP), New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Forest Service, "Northern Red Oak - New Jersey State Tree", New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Division of Parks & Forestry), Page text
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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