Wisconsin state symbols
Wisconsin’s state bird is the robin (1949), its flower the wood violet (1949), its tree the sugar maple (1949), and its motto “Forward” (1851).
How to read it
Section 1.10 of the Wisconsin Statutes names them: “The robin (turdus migratorius) is the state bird”, “The wood violet (viola papilionacea) is the state flower” and “The sugar maple (acer saccharum) is the state tree”, with the badger as state animal and “On, Wisconsin” as state song. All three were made official by one law, Chapter 218, Laws of 1949, the Wisconsin Blue Book says. The motto is on the coat of arms, “Over crest, ‘Forward’” (§ 1.07); it was introduced in the 1851 revision of the seal and coat of arms.
Also searched as: official symbols of wisconsin, wisconsin state bird, wisconsin state flower, wisconsin state motto, wisconsin state symbols, wisconsin state tree.
Chosen by schoolchildren first
The Blue Book says schoolchildren voted for the violet, with the final vote on Arbor Day 1909, and for the robin in 1926–27, when it received twice as many votes as any other bird. The Wisconsin Historical Society dates the violet’s adoption to that Arbor Day vote; the Blue Book dates its official adoption to the 1949 law. The Blue Book adds that the 1949 Legislature chose the sugar maple in spite of efforts by white pine advocates.
States with the same tree
The sugar maple is also the state tree of New York, Vermont and West Virginia.
Read next
- Next in US state symbolsWyoming state symbolsWyoming’s state bird is the western meadowlark (1927), its flower the Indian paintbrush (1917), its tree the plains cottonwood (1947), and its motto “Equal Rights” (1955).
- The same shape in Logic gate symbolsAND gateAn AND gate’s output is 1 (high) only when all of its inputs are 1; if any input is 0, the output is 0. Its symbol is a D shape, flat on the input side and rounded on the output side.
More US state symbols
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- Wis. Stat. § 1.10 State song, state ballad, state waltz, state dance, and state symbols, Wis. Stat. § 1.10, Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau), § 1.10(1), (3)(c), (3)(e), (3)(f), (3)(h); history note
- Wis. Stat. § 1.07 State coat of arms, Wis. Stat. § 1.07, Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau), § 1.07
- 2015-2016 Wisconsin Blue Book: State Symbols, Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 2015-2016 Wisconsin Blue Book, ch. 11, "State Symbols", Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, Motto; Flower; Bird; Tree
- Wisconsin Symbols & Fun Facts (Wisconsin Historical Society), Wisconsin Historical Society, "Wisconsin Symbols & Fun Facts", Wisconsin Historical Society, State Motto; Wood Violet; Robin; Sugar Maple; State Song
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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